Do You Remember?
by Yukihikari-chan
Summary: Renale was the girl nobody liked because of her violent temper. Lumaria was the guy everyone admired for his talent. Deep inisde, both wanted someone they could truly love. What happens when these polar opposites meet? Rated for violence and language
1. Prologue

Prologue

Normal POV

It was your average day in Castle Oblivion when it started. The dark sky was depressing; the castle was deserted except for our fellow Organization XIII members…nothing out of the ordinary. But this is not where our story begins; it begins in a white room on the top floor of the castle. Axel was off doing his own thing, Larxene was no where to be found, and the basement members where doing…whatever they were supposed to be doing, leaving Marluxia to be lost in his own thoughts.

Marluxia looked at his reflection in the newly waxed scythe. It was the face pink-haired blue-eyed face that stared back every time. His scythe turned into a dozen flower petals as he stood up and wondered back into his room. It was always the same every day, which vastly annoyed the assassin. He had nothing to look forward to, nothing to dream of, well except for becoming leader of the organization but that's different. It was the same everyday, the opposite of Lumaria's life.

"Lumaria…" It had been so long since Marluxia had mentioned his former self. The name echoed in his mind as he had said it in a cave.

Marluxia was surprised at his own train of thoughts. Lumaria had lived in Radiant Garden and had fell in love with a girl named Renale. But who was Renale? Marluxia cursed at himself for forgetting. He was finally remembering his former life, the life he had left behind.

"What's going through your mind?" A female snapped him out of his thoughts.

Marluixa turned and saw Larxene standing in the doorway of his bedroom. She had an oddly interested look in her eyes, which surprised Marluxia.

"I was having some…strange thoughts about my somebody. I was thinking and he suddenly came to my mind," Marluxia replied, in half a daze.

Larxene stared at the ground. "I've been having some weird thoughts too, but it's probably PMS anyway. You've been around these flowers for a little too long," She said, wrinkling her nose at the scent of Marluxia's precious roses.

Marluxia was silent for the longest time, lost in his perplexing thoughts. "Larxene…do you remember?"

Larxene raised an eyebrow. "Remember what?"

"Remember…your formor self?" He asked, almost afraid of what Larxene's reaction would be.

Larxene's green eyes turned sad and somewhat angry as well. Marluxia braced himself for a huge jolt of lighting, but Larxene drew in her breath and signed.

"Yeah…I remember Renale," Was all she said.

"Sorry about bringing that up, I just wanted to know-"

"I would love to forget about Renale's life. Her life was miserable and nobody liked her," Larxene began. "She just wanted attention…" Her voice trailed off.

"She wasn't completely lonely, Lumaria liked her for who she was," Marluxia smiled slightly at Larxene. "Her life wasn't completely all that bad…except for the whole losing her heart thing," He added with a chuckle to himself.

Larxene was lost in own thoughts to even notice Marluxia's reply. Her memories of her former self were faint, but memories were still memories. She couldn't forget them even if she tried. Renale was never liked by anyone after her mother died and she was the single most anti-social person in her entire high school. But when Lumaria came into her life, she found joy for once. Larxene turned to meet Marluxia's beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey, do you remember when…they first met?" She asked, a slight blush crawling across her cheeks.

Marluxia smiled at Larxene's odd behavior; thank god no one else was around. "Yes, I remember,"

**Author: A little idea that came to my mind a couple days ago. I kinda like this, but I don't know weather to continue this or not. What do you guys think? Was it any good? Hope you enjoyed! **

**~yukihikari99**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Renale's POV

_Sophomore year_

My witch of an algebra teacher flopped our tests onto our desks while giving us the usual, 'you did you best no matter what' speech. I SWEAR she shot me a glare as she placed my test on my desk. D-, oh crap my dad's gonna kill me again. If he really wanted me to get straight A's, why won't he help me like a real father would? The queen of all brats, Hikari, flips her black hair as her group of petty friends congratulates her for acing the test. The sight disgusts me, who would want to hang out with a bitch like her anyway? The final bell rings as I gather up my junk and rush out of that room, as if it were hell itself.

I yank my books out of my locker and shoved them into my messenger bag. The hall was already overflowing with teenagers, rushing to get their things and determined to get home. Unlike them, I want to avoid going home for as long as possible. I toss my bag over my shoulder and head down the hall, towards the schoolyard. On my way, I bump into Hikari and her group of snobby brats. Just what I need after almost failing my test.

"Watch it RenaLITTLE," She puts emphasis on little. I hate it when people call me short, did I mention that?

"Well then move your fat butt, it's blocking the whole hall!" I shout back.

Hikari gasps and staggers back, jokingly. "You're just jealous because I have a hotter body and I get more guys," She puts her hand on her hips and smirks.

"Do I give a sh*t? Move it," I shove past her and run to the far end of the schoolyard, away from everyone else.

I ran outside, determined to get away from everyone else. I ran away from the rest of the students, to my own corner of the schoolyard. NOBODY went near my spot, because if they did it meant a punch to the face. Believe me, I can punch…hard. The sky was grey and it was threatening to rain, but I didn't care. I sit under the freakishly tall oak tree and sigh deeply at the tranquility around me.

I dig through my messenger bag and pull out a picture of my mom, the last on ever taken of her. She gave me her golden blonde hair, but her eyes were violet. She was forty, but she looked like she was twenty-two and she wasn't even wearing make-up. She had a kind smile that told me everything was going to be okay. She had that same smile when she died, and everything was NOT okay. I can only stare at the picture as my thoughts swirl inside my head like a hurricane.

I didn't know how long I was outside or how long I was lost in my thoughts, but it was now raining. I tuck the picture back inside my pocket, safe from the rain, and take off running down the sidewalk. I feel my long hair clinging to my back on my wet shirt, but again I really don't care. I take a shortcut through the deserted Market Square and splash through the puddles scattered along my driveway. I kick the door open and stomp towards my room. I begin to close the door but a huge meaty hand grabs the door and forces it open.

My dad stands in the doorway, looking pissed. He has long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a five o' clock shadow across his face. He dressed in a white shirt and black slacks and his coat is tossed over his shoulder. His cold dark blue eyes stare right through me as he hold out his hand.

"Let me see you test," He growls.

I resultantly pull out my algebra test and slap it in his hand. He scowls at my grade crumples it in his chunky hands. He looks at me carefully see me completely drenched, miserable, and shivering-he must love this right now.

"How the hell did I wind up with a daughter as dumb as you? I thought you said you studied!" He screams, his voice shaking the house.

"I did! If you really want me to pass this class than why don't you help me like a real father would!" I shout back.

Before he says anything he slaps my upside my face. I fall backwards onto the floor and the taste of blood fills my mouth. He still stands there shouting and yelling curses at me.

"I'm too busy to deal with a bitchy teenager like you! You should learn to study yourself and not to reply on me!" His eyes seem to turn black. "I'm not going to support you all your life! Do your own schoolwork yourself!"

"I don't need a damned father like you to support me! I can do everything myself!" I scream.

"Don't back talk your father like that! You're grounded until your algebra grades improve!" He slams the door shut, knocking down the family portrait hanging on the wall. The glass frame shatters into a thousand pieces all over my rug.

I crawl over the shattered picture and hold the broken frame in my hand. It was taken six years ago, when I was nine. We were on standing on the beach on a bright and sunny day. My mom was wearing a white bikini with little red flower buds all over it and my dad was shirtless, his arm over my mom's shoulder. My mom was ruffling my overly long hair and I was wearing a pink tanki with white flowers all over it. It was really sunny that day, so it was squinting slightly with a smile on my face while holding a slightly melted Popsicle.

The glass cut my pinkie, making me make a tiny squeak of pain. I set the picture down and carefully wrapped a band-aid around my bleeding finger, as if my mom was doing it. The thought makes me curse at myself for bringing back memories of my mom. I drop the photo onto my bed, pull out a black t-shirt and baggy lounge pants from my bureau, beginning to shiver more violently from wearing my wet clothes.

I took a long hot shower, which ceased my shivering, and threw my dry clothes on. I pulled the picture of my mom out of my jeans pocket before shoving my soaking wet clothes in the hamper. Seeing the picture again and thinking about now, I feel sadness and loneness fill my heart. Why mom, why did you need to leave us? I feel tears run down my face in steady streams. The tears keep coming and dripping onto the photo as thunder booms outside my window.

**Lumaria's POV**

"Hey Lumaria, who are you trying out for in the play?" My best friend, Steffan, asked as we walked into the auditorium.

"Prince Eric, because he has some pretty funny lines from the movie and he some singing parts," I replied as we took a seat along with the other students hoping to earn a spot in the Spring Musical: The Little Mermaid.

Some kids were chattering with each other and other were listening to their iPods, trying to practice their audition piece. I saw Hikari walk in and take a seat on the other side of me, flashing her world-famous smile…that makes her look like a monkey that REALLY needs to go to the dentist (Author: Really spoiled the moment, didn't I).

Let me get this straight before we continue: Hikari and I are NOT boyfriend and girlfriend, only she thinks that. She thinks were some kind of couple only because we were the Beast and Belle from Beauty and the Beast last year. After that, she always tagged along with Steffan and I, which annoys me to no end. I tell her to leave me alone, she does…but she comes crawling back to me three days later. So yeah, I got a stalker who won't get off my back.

"Okay! We're ready to start!" The drama teacher walked in, holding his notebook and stood in front of us. "You know the drill: tell me the part you're auditioning for, sing your song, and you can leave if you want to or stay and watch the rest. If you just want to be, a dancer or a person in the chorus just tell me and you're done. Who wants to go first?"

The room was dead silent. I SWEAR you could hear crickets chirping somewhere. His eyes scanned the room as if he were an eagle searching for fresh meat. I gulped and shakily raised my hand. The teacher's eyes lit up as he saw my hand.

"Ah! Lumaria, please come up," He motioned to the stage.

My heart began pounding as I approached the stage. I've auditioned for tons of school plays before and I get nervous every time no matter what. Steffan gave me a thumbs-up and flashed his normal goofy smile. I smiled back at him, feeling a little reassured. The drama teacher took a seat in the first row and pulled out a pencil.

"What song are you singing?" He asked me.

"Nothing I won't give by Vic Mignogna, one of my current favorites," I said rolling my shoulders.

The teacher smiled as I drew in my breath and began to sing. I've always been complemented on how well I can sing. I'm pretty good, but not Susan Boyle good.

"_We were foolish then but our trials soon to make us strong  
__The burdens are not yours alone, we've sought the answers for so long  
__But they're not free, they cost you more than they cost me…_

_My brother…_

_I promise you, there is nothing I won't give  
__To see this through, return the soul to where it lives  
__I promise you, I'd go everywhere I'd been  
__To find a way, to make atonement for my sin and see…  
__See your smiling face again!_

_When we paid the price at last, and we are whole once more  
__Life will be the way it was, the way it was before the days just slipped…away  
__Together we'll redeem the day!_

_And I promise you, there is nothing I won't give  
__To see this through, return the soul to where it lives  
__I promise you, I'd go everywhere I'd been  
__To find a way, to make atonement for my sin and see…  
__See your smiling face again!"_

I stopped singing as the crowd of teenagers burst into applause. My hearts was hammering in my rib cage, but I still smiled. Hikari stood up and shouting my name over and over as the drama teacher flashed me a thumbs-up. I bowed and hurried off stage and Steffan high-fived me.

"That was awesome dude! Have you gotten better or is it just me?" He wondered.

"I've been practicing a little," I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder.

Steffan raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to watch my audition?"

"I can't, I have a huge project to work on. Sorry, I'll see you later!" I apologized before I rushed out of the auditorium.

Steffan nodded as Hikari waved at me, smiling her obnoxious smile. The cold rain greeted me as I stepped out of the school. I pulled my hood over my head and began jogging home. Here's the truth: I don't have a huge project; I just wanted to get away from Hikari. I know it was rude, but I didn't want to be sitting beside her for the next hour. Is there any girl here who isn't a crazed stalker?

**Author: Thanks for your reviews! They really motivated me to type this! I'll get the next chapter up ASAP! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**~yukihikari99**

Kingdom Hearts (C) Square Enix

Random Characters (C) Me

Nothing I Won't Give (C) Vic Mignogna

Story (C) Me


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Renale's POV

I sit in a chair in the waiting area of a hospital. I fidget nervously and tap my feet against the tiled floor. My dad sits next to me, just as nervous. I hug my knees close to my chest and shiver from fright. I don't know what's going on, and I don't why it happened. I can feel tears behind my eyelids as a woman in a white coat walks over to where my dad and I were sitting. I probably already know the terrible words that will come from her mouth.

_"I'm sorry, but we couldn't save her,"_

The woman looks at her clipboard as rolls her shoulder before she meets our eyes.

"Her condition is very serious, and she's weak. There's a big possibility that she'll even die," The woman explains.

With that, I rush into the elevator before my dad even got to his feet. The elevator ride feels like hours and it moves slowly to the third floor. I feel like I'm in a slow motion scene as the seconds feel like hours. I pray silently that she's still alive as the elevator dings, finally. As soon as the doors open, I rush out and run down the hall, into the room where my mother was.

No amount of words or feeling can describe how she looks. Her face is deathly white and her beautiful blonde hair has even lost its shine. Lots of tubes are hooked up to her arms and a breathing mask covers her nose and mouth. Her body is covered with three white blankets. I feel tears come to my eyes as her violet eyes meet mine, for possibly the last time.

"Renale…don't cry," She wiped away my tears with her hand. Her touch feels like a feather brushing against my cheek. "Don't worry I'm going to a better place,"

"I want you to stay here with daddy and I!" I yell as my dad and the doctor walk in. "Mom, are you going to be okay?" I yelled as more and more tears poured down my face.

"Ryuu…" My mom took my dad's hand. "Please, keep her safe," He whispered.

"Don't go!" I cried.

"I can see angels…they're coming," Her voice trailed off and her eyes sparkled one last time before they closed…forever.

"MOM!" I cried as huge, watery tears fell down my cheeks. My mom had just died.

* * *

I opened my eyes to sunlight pouring into my room, attempting to dry my wet face. I sat up and wipe my tears away with the crock of my arm. It was that dream again, only a dream. I climb out of bed and throw on a baseball tee with black sleeves under a grey jacket with music notes flowing across the chest, a pair of jeans, and black converse with a lighting blot on it.

I eat a quick breakfast and run into the world. It's already one o' clock and Radiant Garden is bustling with activity. The other citizens of Radiant Garden are up and about, talking and waving to each other. I run down Main Street, towards the town's wonderful gardens. I've never been a big fan of flowers, but I love the town's gardens. It's the most peaceful place in town, away from the bustling activity of the town, but near Ansem's castle. As I approached the gardens, I see a woman with short auburn hair tending to the flowers. Perfect, just the person I want to see.

"Hey! Morin' Arina!" I called to her.

The women, Arina, turned around and smiled at me. Arina had short auburn hair that was a good three inches shy of her shoulders, and pale green eyes. She tends to the town's gardens, so some of her clothes have small dirt smudges on them. Today she's dressed in a dark red sleeveless dress over a three-quarter length white shirt and black boots. I feel like I can be myself around her because she's so much like my mother. Well, she was good friends with my mom so that probably explains why I like to be around her. Enough with this boring crap, back to the story!

"Hello Renale, you look tired. Are you okay?" She greeted.

"I had that dream last night. And my dad's mad at me for failing my algebra test, he even slapped me upside my face," I rubbed the slightly red spot on my cheek.

"Your dad is still probably sad about Izumi's death, it's not easy to lose someone you care about," Arina pulled out a weed. "You're still sad about it to, right?"

"Yeah…but I feel angry because I couldn't do anything to save her," I admitted.

"That's why you act so a aggressively towards the other students. The heart can be a complicated thing, sometimes it feel angry at someone's death or it's deeply saddened," Arina stood up. Even though she was only twenty-three, she was only about two inches taller than me. I'm not the only one with short genes.

"Keep talking like that Ari, and you'll eventually sound like Even," A man with shoulder-length black hair and golden eyes strolled over to where Arina and I were talking.

Arina sighed, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Braig, how many times do I have to tell you to not call me Ari?" She sounded annoyed to no end, which was very rare with Arina.

"Come on, Arina's a dumb nickname for someone with a name like Arianna! Where'd it come from anyway?" The man, Braig I guess, replied.

"Nevermind, is my assistance needed?" Arina asked Braig, cutting straight to another topic.

Braig played with the tattered red scarf that hung around his neck. "Well…there's this experiment Even and Xehanort are doing and they need you help. I think Even's just making an excuse to be with you," Braig explained.

"But you, Dilan, and Aleues have to guard the castle and Ienzo's helping Ansem work on the underground lab. Leaving me the only person left here to help," Arina explained as she walked towards the castle. "I'll be right there…"

"I still think you and Even have something special between the two of you," Braig teased as he followed her.

Arina shook off his comment and waved a quick good-bye before she walked into Ansem's castle. Well, now what do I do when Arina's busy? Go home and do stuff. I walked back to my house, completely lost in my thoughts. I couldn't seem to get Arina's words about the heart out of my head. Why DID I feel angry all the time for no reason? All I can think of is how much my life sucks. My dad hates my guts, I'm the social reject of my school, and my mom is dead. I push the thoughts out of my head as I grab my book from my backpack, plop down onto my couch, and start reading. Yep, that's what rejects with no friends like me do on the weekends.

* * *

On Monday, it's the same as always. The cast for the spring musical was posted outside the cafeteria, where kids were crowed around it. Guess who got the leading female part? The queen bitch, Hikari. Hikari smiled and bowed to everyone that congratulated her, acting like sort of snobby queen. I glare at her back and walk away from the mass of teens, determined to see if they made it or not. I put a total of six feet between the crowd and me before Hikari's ear-piercing voice cuts through the air.

"Aww…don't be sad, Renale. Not everyone can be as talented as me," She tried to sound sorry for me, but it sounded more like the haha-I-got-the-part-and-you-didn't tone.

I brushed off her commented and continued to walk away. I got comments like that from her all the time, so this wasn't new. Hikari was angry that I didn't reply, so she cranked up the inner snob in her up a notch.

"My mom will be so proud of me, if only your mom was proud of you. Oh right, your mom is DEAD!" Hikari and her group of petty friends laughed.

I felt a veins swell on my forehead before I flew off the handle. I ran back towards the crowd and shoved Hikari into a bunch of nearby lockers. I pushed her against the lockers and she tried to pull my hand off her shirt collar, which probably cost 70$ alone. I slapped her across the face, making her cry out in pain as teen gathered around us. Hikari kicked her high-heeled boot into my leg, making me wince in pain. I kicked her in the shin in return.

The kids around us encouraged us to fight as more and more gathered around to see the catfight. No one cared about the audition results anymore, only the fight between Miss perfect and Miss Violent reject. Hikari pulled my hair and I elbowed her in the shoulder. We screamed, kicked, punched, and pulled each other's hair as everyone began to chant: "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Hikari grabbed my shirt and I kicked her in the shin as she-

"What's the meaning of this?" A stern voice stopped everyone's cheers.

Hikari and I froze as the principal, Mr. Hathore, came walking towards us. The teens that had gathered around us fled to their classrooms like the grim reaper was coming towards them (I suppose that Mr. Hathore is the grim reaper because the only color he wears is black). Hikari jumped away from me and held up her hands, pretending that she was sooo innocent.

"I didn't do anything, Mr. Hathore. I was just minding my own business when Renale came up to me and started beating me up," Her eyeliner was smudged and her hair was messy, making her look like a diva that had a little too much to drink last night. Mr. Hathore's eyes shifted to me, annoyance filled his coal-black eyes.

"I admit I did beat her up, but she was taunting me! She was making fun of how my mom wa-" Mr. Hathore held up his hand, stopping me.

"You started it, detention. Now apologize to Hikari," He pointed to Hikari, who still trying to innocent but was failing miserably.

"But-" I started.

"No buts, now apologize!" He ordered, sounding like a dictator.

"Sorry, Hikari," I reluctantly mumbled, as Mr. Hathore walked away.

Hikari stuck her tongue out at me and then skipped her prissy tra-lala dance to the nurse's office. I balled my hands into fists and headed into class again. Now guess what? I was ten minutes late so now I have an extra ten minutes of detention. Geez, why does the universe have a grudge against me?

I sulked through the rest of the day and headed to detention, where the jerks and the brainacs 'that said a little too much' were gathered. I took a seat near the front as the teacher stared at us, her eyes like lazars. I spent the next forty minutes lost in my thoughts about hearts. Why did we feel emotion in the first place? Why are some stronger than others? It was all too confusing to even put into words; I even confused myself a couple times.

During the last few minutes of detention, I heard someone singing "On the Inside" By Daughtry. I gotta say the guy wasn't half bad. His voice was the perfect pitch for this song, not even a note off from the real song. The teacher dismissed us and everyone, but me, took off running out of the room as if they were criminals freed from prison. They took off towards the door while I followed the beautiful voice to its source. I came to the music room a couple rooms down and peered in. No one was there, expect for one person.

He was pretty tall with…pink hair? It was long and curly, but most of it was tied back into a ponytail that brushed against his back. He had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen, like sapphire gems. He was dressed in black t-shirt under a black jacket with a rose on the front, ripped jeans, and sneakers. He was pretty cute and had a good singing voice too. I found myself in a trance as I listened to him sing…

"_Flip a coin and let it land in your hand  
__Heads, you're gonna stay but it's tails so you can…_

_Move, to another town  
__Hide where you're sure you won't be found  
__But it's still just you on the inside  
__You can pretend…it'll be all right  
__Said it to yourself buy you know it's just a lie  
_'_Cause it's still just you on the inside_

_Nothin' faster than the speed of you leaving  
__Hundred miles an hour and there ain't no slowin' down  
__But you can't outrun yourself_

_Yeah, you can say you fit in like a joker in the deck but now,  
__You're skippin' like a broken record going down!  
__And you're the last to ask fro help_

_Flip a coin and let it land in your hand  
__Heads, you're gonna stay but it's tails so you can…_

_Move, to another town  
__Hide where you're sure you won't be found  
__But it's still just you on the inside  
__You can pretend…it'll be all right  
__Said it to yourself buy you know it's just a lie  
_'_Cause it's still just you on the inside…"_

I felt the urge to clap, but that would've embarrassed the heck out of me. I gulped and took a step away from the music room, but the teen's voice stopped me.

"Did you like it?"

I jumped and turned around, and my eyes met the teen's beautiful blue orbs. "Y-yeah, it was really good," I smiled at him.

The teen threw his backpack over one shoulder as I walked into the room. His presence was making my heart pound and my palms sweat.

"You're really good," I complemented.

The teen smiled at me as we walked out of the music room. "Thanks," His smiled made me dizzy, but I relaxed a little bit.

"Are you in the play?" I wondered, trying to start a conversation.

"I'm Prince Eric, are you in the play?" He asked.

"I'm not much of an actress, but I like to listen to music. That's one of my favorite songs," I replied as I pushed the school doors open.

"That's one of my favorites, too. What's your name?" He asked.

"Renale," I said, feeling a blush crawl across my cheeks.

"I'm Lumaria," He said as the wind blew a couple strands of pink hair into his face.

**Kingdom Hearts (C) Square Enix  
****Arina, Hikari, Mr. Hathore, and the story (C) Me (lol, I made up the principal off the top of my head)  
On the Inside (C) Daughtry****  
**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Renale's POV

I lay in bed that night, with the biggest smile I had on my face in a while. Lumaria and I had talked for nearly an hour and a half. We had taken a walk in the park and talked the whole time. He wasn't only attractive, but he was talented in acting and singing. I entered a trance whenever I stared into his perfect blue eyes. I told him a little bit of my hobbies, which consisted of reading and absolutely nothing (he got a kick out of that one). It was nearly 11:00 at night and I couldn't stop thinking about Lumaria. I felt like an insomniac who was madly in love. Lumaria even gave me the strength to handle my dad yelling at me for getting detention and wondering why the hell I got home so late. I finally fell asleep, my thoughts still filled with joyous thoughts of Lumaria.

This was probably the happiest I've been since my mom died.

* * *

_A week later… _

I woke up in the morning, actually looking forward to going to school for once. I threw on a dark blue T-shirt with angel wings coming out of heart on it, a short-sleeved black hoodie, boot-cut jeans, and my boots. I quickly got ready for school and literally floated out the door. My heart lit up when I saw the pink-haired teen leaning against the school, texting someone on his cell phone.

"Hey! Morin' Lumaria!" I called as I approached him.

Lumaria looked up, his blue eyes meeting my green ones. "Good morning, Renale," He greeted as he closed his phone.

"What's up?" I tried to start a conversation, which I obviously can't due to my lack of social skills.

"Not very much, my friend Steffan has a nasty cold and he won't be in school today," He replied.

"Sorry, but you can still talk to me, right?" Yeah, I need to work on some conversational skills with Arina.

Lumaria nodded as a bus pulled up to the school and kids began pouring in. "I guess you're right,"

We walked together into the building, getting some strange glances. I would be a bit weirded out too if I saw the school's most violent chick walking with one of the most popular guys in the entire student body. I gave him a small wave as I headed off to my locker. Lumaria gave a smile back as we parted for the day.

The day went by at its usual, slow pace. I forced myself to pay attention or else my dad would beat the crap out of me again. I sat at my normal lunch table, the one so far away in the corner that no one ever bothers to sit there. I still got glances every now and then from Hikari and her group of snobs, but I ignored them. The second half of the day went by quickly, much to my delight, and I gathered my stuff and headed out.

On my way out, I heard yelling. Teen at my school got into fights all the time, but I heard a boy and a girl. Curious, I went to the side of the school to where the yells where coming from. I ducked low and hit in the bushes that surrounded the school and, much to my surprise, I saw Hikari and Lumaria.

"I can't believe you! You're hanging out with that violent bitch when I'M your girlfriend!" Hikari yelled, pointing to herself.

"For the last time, just because we were lead roles doesn't mean we have to be dating!" Lumaria sounded like he wanted to murder someone. "Renale has something you don't: she actually cares about something other than designer clothes and make-up!"

"Only because she's so poor she can't afford it! She would defiantly look better with some," Hikari growled. "You and me had a good relationship last year before that Renale came in and screwed everything up,"

"She looks good enough without it! I'm tired of you clinging to me like a baby and giving me no time to myself! I have a life too!" Lumaria was beyond pissed.

"You're my guy and you're not dumping me for some jerk who needs anger management! You're staying with me and Renale can be her violent self!" Hikari was screaming now. "She's just jealous because I'm so much better than her! You don't need an angry snitch like her," Knives stabbed at my heart as Hikari grabbed Lumaria by the shirt collar and kissed him passionately.

Hikari closed her eyes and savored every last moment, which wasn't very long. Lumaria pushed her away wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at her. If looks could kill, Hikari would've died right there and be out of my life.

"Leave. Me. Alone," Lumaria said each word by itself with an irritated tone to his voice before he walked away from Hikari.

After both of them left, I stood up from my hiding spot and ran away from school. I wasn't going home, even if my dad yelled at me again, I didn't want to go home. I ran as far away from the school as I could. The park came into view as the sky turned into overcast, and threatened to rain. I stopped running near my favorite bench; the one a couple yards away from the brook. I dropped my backpack on the bench and sat on the shores of the brook.

Lumaria was dating Hikari, the brat who calls me a violent bitch every other day. I wanted to cry, Lumaria probably thought the same of me. He didn't really love me. Just when I thought I found joy in my life, I didn't find it at all. I was still the social reject that everyone hated who didn't go to dances, have any friends, or do anything.

I heard footsteps pounding the pavement, but I assumed it was a lone jogger. I buried my face in my knees as the footsteps turned in my direction. I looked up and saw Lumaria standing above me, painting from his run here. Sweat gathered on his brow and stray locks of pink hair clung to his forehead.

"Renale…I need…to talk…" He painted.

"Wanna brag about how much better your girlfriend is than me?" I asked coldly.

Lumaria took a seat next to me. "I knew you were there when I was with Hikari. I meant all that stuff about you: you're different from the other girls in our school," His voice sounded compassionate. "You're not some make-up and clothes obsessed freak,"

"But you don't like me at all. You and Hikari probably feel the same about me," I said turning away from him as it began to rain.

"If I didn't like you, then why would I talk to you for an hour and a half straight almost every day?" He asked.

My heart softened a bit. True, we took a walk together and couldn't stop talking the whole time a week ago. Lumaria gave me the courage to stand up to my dad's curses. We talked this morning and I gave him company because his best friend was out. I looked into his blue eyes briefly before I threw my arms around his neck. His beautiful pink curls tickled my arms as rain continued to pour down. Lumaria rubbed my back, as if he were comforting me.

"Why would I date some creeper like Hikari when I've got you?" Lumaria still had his arms around me.

"Yeah," I muttered as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

Lumaria slowly pulled away and stood up. I climbed to my feet as he handed me my, soaking wet, backpack.

"C'mon, wanna come to the diner and grab some hot chocolate?" He asked, holding out his hand.

I nodded and grabbed his hand as we raced across town, desperate to get out of the rain. My face was burning but the coolness of the raindrops made it fade away. My blonde hair was clinging to my neck and shoulders and Lumaria's was now stick straight instead of slightly curly. We stepped into the brightly lit diner and took a couple minutes to dry ourselves off. It was just us and a couple people who were eating pie and drinking coffee. A waiter led us to a booth and we took a seat and set down our backpacks.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order," She said as she handed us a couple menus and left us alone.

There was a slight awkward silence between us for a few minutes. Lumaria cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.

"Are you okay? You're shivering," He noticed.

I didn't I was shaking myself. Lumaria took off his coat and handed it to me. I slip it on my shivering body inhaling his rich, flowery scent. I swear I almost melted it right there. Lumaria smirked at me slightly, making him seem a little more like a bad boy. I smiled back at his playful smirk.

"Renale? Wow, surprising meeting you here," A voice commented.

I turned slightly and met Arina's pale green eyes. A man stood next her, who looked possibly a couple years older and was a head taller than her (but then again she was always short). He had long blonde hair that went past his shoulder and long side bangs framed his face. His eyes were only a couple shades darker than Arina's pale green, making seem like siblings…in a weird way.

"Hey Arina who's this?" I asked.

"He's of friend of mine, Even this is Renale. Renale this is my friend Even," She briefly introduced.

"Oh, you got yourself a boyfriend?" I raised my eyebrows.

"No, we're just friends. We've only known each other for a couple months," Even replied quickly.

Arina smirked a bit. "When did YOU get yourself a man?" She wondered.

I felt my face burn as a blush crawled across my cheeks. "He's j-just a friend…" I stammered as Lumaria chucked to himself.

Arina chuckled to herself as well. "Well, have fun. Even and I have to finish up business at Ansem's castle, I'll talk to you later Renale," The two of them walked away as Arina gave a small wave before she followed Even out the door.

"Who was that?" Lumaria wondered.

"Arina, she's the closest thing I have to a mom," I answered, starting to feel sadness fill my heart.

"What happened to your mom?" Lumaria asked.

I was quiet for a couple moments before I swallowed back the tears. "S-She died in an accident f-four years ago. Th-They tried to save her, b-but she died a couple days later…" I felt tears welling up inside my eyes.

I felt someone move my backpack and wrap their arms around me. I buried my face into Lumaria's chest as tears flowed down my face.

"I'm sorry, I lost my dad to cancer when I was nine," Lumaria whispered in my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and signed deeply. Another similarity: we both lost one of our parents when we were younger and shared the pain. I felt like a child in Lumaria's strong, protective arms but I was comforted.

There wasn't really that much to mention after that. We traded more stories over hot chocolate and grilled chicken. I didn't realize I still had Lumaria's brown jacket on until we were getting ready to leave. It had stopped raining, but the streets were covered in water. It was around 6:45 when we left the diner, but it was pitch black outside. Lumaria walked me back to my house, holding my hand the whole way. I was blushing, but thank god it was dark outside. When we approached my house, the lights were off so my dad was obviously asleep. Before I could say goodbye, he leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips.

My heart began pounding and butterflies flew around my stomach like mad. Lumaria was kissing me, right here, right now. I pushed away my nervous thoughts and hugged him tightly. Lumaria ran his fingers through my blonde hair as the kiss lingered on. I didn't want to let go; I was happy right here with him. I gently pulled away and drew in my breath.

"Good night, Renale," He gave a small waved before he jogged off.

I was in a daze, but I managed a small wave too. My heart was still pounding, but a smile was plastered onto my face. I almost skipped into the house and into my room, if someone saw that they would've had nightmares for the rest of their life. I dropped my stuff onto the floor and collapsed on my bed, feeling like a lovesick puppy.

From outside, a figure watched Lumaria and Renale kiss with angry eyes. The figure growled as Lumaria run his gentle fingers through Renale's shoulder-length blond hair. There was no way Lumaria was falling for her. Fists clenched, the figure turned and walked away, fury for Renale burning inside their heart. There was no way in hell they would have Lumaria be with Renale.

**Author: I've been hit with the insperation fairy this week! I typed this whole thing tonight! Sorry this is so short! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! I hope you enjoyed this!**

**~yukihikari99**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lumaria's POV

"So Lumaria…" Steffan's eyes wandered around my room. "How's your new girlfriend?"

I felt my face burn slightly. "Renale's not my girlfriend, she's just a…friend," I replied quickly.

"That's what they all say…you going to the Holiday Dance with her?" Steffan teased a bit more.

"I don't know…we've only started dating. Why are you asking?" I was curious it probably involved Hikari.

"Well, Hikari still thinks she's your girl and IF you ask Renale to the Holiday Dance she's gonna blow up on you," Steffan pointed out. "But it would be nice to have her stop stalking us, plus you look so much happier with Renale,"

"I'll tell Hikari I'm breaking up with her tomorrow. I never really liked her anyway," I sighed.

Hikari would be out of our lives tomorrow and I could spend time with Renalewithout her worrying. Steffan and I touched knuckles and grinned at each other. After Steffan left, I was in a debate with my mind. Steffan's advice about taking Renale to the Holiday Dance swirled inside my mind. Asking her out wouldn't be a bad idea, but she isn't a social butterfly that everyone loves. But if she were with me, she would be perfectly fine. Man, high school romance is so confusing. Scratch that, WHY is it so confusing?

* * *

The next morning, I left my house a little early to tell Hikari and get it off my shoulders. I was almost afraid of her reaction, but she always over-reacts over every little thing. Like during the school play last year, they had to delay the show a whole ten minutes because she messed up her and had to re-apply her make-up. I was one of the first ones there; the only other students were the die-hard academics. I bury my nose into my copy of Romeo and Juliet for a good twenty minutes before Hikari walked in, smiling like she was the luckiest person in the world.

She sat next she me and gently played with my hair. Maybe I should tie it back…I shook off my other thoughts. I turned towards her and drew in my breath. Hikari tensed up as if she was expecting me to ask to the dance, which she probably was.

"Hikari, I need to tell you something," I told her firmly, praying she wasn't thinking I was going to ask her out.

"You're taking me to the dance? OMG! I love you!" She threw her arms around me. I was right, and I didn't like the result.

"No!" I literally chucked her off. She looked up with a surprised expression on her face. "I'm tired of you clinging to Steffan and I! Just because we were the two lead roles, doesn't mean we're dating!"

"But you liked me! Why are you yelling at me all of the sudden?" Hikari flashed me her puppy dog eyes, which looked more like the oh-look-I'm-a-total-weakling eyes.

"I never liked you! You're clingy, wear too much make-up and you drag me out to every single romantic comedy! Renale actually gives me space to breathe! I don't care if she's violent, she still loves me and knows when to leave me alone!" I screamed.

"You're dumping me for that brat?" Hikari yelled. "She doesn't even go to any school events or have any friends! She's just a hermit that beats people up for no reason!"

"She does it because people like you set her off! I'm the only friend she needs, and she's not a spoiled brat either!" I was plenty happy inside for letting out my true feelings. "And at least she doesn't wear skirts that have half her a** hanging out!" **(Author: Oh! He just OWNED you Hikari XD)**

Hikari looked stunned. She took a step back with a hand on her heart. Her expression went from stunned to angry as she raised her hand above her head and slapped me across the face in one swift motion. My cheek stung but I stood my ground like a solider. Hikari shot me a death glare before she stomped out of the room, her eyes glistening with tears of frustration.

I'm relived she's out of my life, but I feel guilty at the same time for breaking up with her like that. After all, she thought I was her boyfriend. The sound of teenagers entering the school began to fill the eerily silent halls as I snapped out of my thoughts. I rubbed my slightly red cheek and went to my locker, praying no one would notice it. I didn't want to explain to anyone, not even Steffan or Renale, what happened.

**Renale's POV**

Still in a daze from the kiss Lumaria and I shared last night, I walked up the steps to school. I still couldn't shake the excitement from me as I headed to my locker. I got the usual junk for my classes and began heading across the school to Basic art and 2D drawing skills. When I was walking there, a very angry-looking Hikari confronted me. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her mascara left trail of black under her eyes. She grabbed my collar and shoved me against the wall. As much as I wanted to kick her, I decided to keep my cool. It's not everyday Hikari beats people up, but then again she doesn't even know what Take Kwan Do is.

"You…damned stealer…" She sneered.

I raised an eyebrow. "What did I do other than say you had a fat butt?"

"You took Lumaria away from me!" She screamed.

"He didn't like you anyway! Plus who would go out with a slut like you?" I challenged.

Hikari pressed me against the wall even harder. "It's your fault! He's MY boyfriend, not yours!" Now she was getting mad. "I was his girlfriend first and you're not taking him away from me, got it?" Her face was literally two inches from mine.

_You don't have to get so defensive…_I said in my thoughts as she released her grip on my collar and she walked away. I could only imagine what happened between her and Lumaria.

**Author: Sorry the chapter was so short! I've been running dry on inspiration. If you have ANY ideas leave a review, send me a message, or find some other way to get to me. I know what I want to happen later on, but I don't know how to resolve the Hikari x Lumaria problem. Whoever gives me inspiration or an idea will have the next chapter dedicated to them. i hope you enjoyed!**

**~yukihikari99**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Renale's POV

Curiosity killed me throughout the day. Lumaria was a good actor when it came to pretending to date Hikari, but maybe today his acting failed on him. I haven't seen him all day, not even when I first came in he wasn't there to greet me. I asked his friend, Steffan, but he shrugged and said he hadn't seen him all morning either. As he said that, his brown pupils wandered around the hall as he tried to avoid making eye contact. I walked away and I knew he was lying through his teeth. I shrugged it off until Hikari confronted me, looking like a total mess.

After thinking through it, I have come to a conclusion. Crap, I'm turning into some kind of freak mad scientist. Anyway, my conclusion is…Lumaria broke up with her.

I was relived that she was out of his life, but now she on my case more than ever. I would dirty looks from her constantly and she shove her weight against me in the hall and cause me to drop all of my books. She's been a total bitch to me before but now it was ridiculous. After flashing me a dirty look for the 46th time during seventh period, I decided needed to talk to Lumaria.

I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and rushed out of the school. I jog down the steps, through the sea of kids, and wait at the bottom of the steps for Lumaria, or his friend at the very least. My wish was granted as Lumaria walked out and his beautiful azure orbs met my eyes. He flashed me a tiny smile and the corners of my mouth curved upward as well.

"Hey Rena, what's up?" He asked as we began walking down the sidewalk.

I snapped out of my fangirl daze and remembered what I need to talk to him about. "What happened between you and Hikari? She's been acting even more aggressive toward everyone today, especially me, and earlier today she called me a damned stealer," I explained briefly.

"I broke up with her and she slapped me. She was hoping I'd ask her to the dance, but I dumped her instead. I feel bad for it, but she was annoying," He smirked slightly. "Which reminds me…" He pulled out something from behind his back.

The next thing I knew, he got down on one knee and held out a lovely red rose. Dewdrops clung to the petals and a small card was attached to the stem with white ribbon. Lumaria smiled slightly, with a nervous tint to it. My heart skipped a beat when I read was written in cursive on the card:

_Will you go to the Holiday Dance with me? –Lumaria_

I placed a shaking hand over my heart and stared at him in shock. He was doing a pretty good job at trying to hide how nervous he was, but his fingers were shaking slightly. I didn't know what to say. No one has ever done something like this to me before, but then again every single person in school hated me. The biggest and probably the dumbest grin crossed my face as I took a shaky step toward Lumaria and gently took the rose from his hand.

"Yes, I'll go with you," I replied, joy spreading through my body.

Lumaria's eyes lit up before he jumped to his feet and threw his strong arms around me. I felt the wind get knocked out of me but I drew in a breath, re-filling my lungs, and hugged him back. I still held the rose in one hand as he gently kissed my forehead. We stood there for a couple minutes on the sidewalk, trapped in each other's hugs.

"I kinda overdid it, didn't it?" Lumaria broke the silence between us.

I laughed. "Yeah, just a little," I replied.

Lumaria released me from his grip and gave me a quick wave before he began jogging down the street. I winked back and literally pranced home. Me, the reject of the student body, was just asked out by Lumaria who was the lead in the school play and was one of the most popular kids in school? This had to be some twisted dream. My dad wasn't home, so I threw my backpack down on my bed and got lost in my fantasies of the night that was next week. I put the rose in a vase of water and gently placed it on my nightstand, where it would get plenty of sun. After doing this, I realized something that almost made my dream shatter into millions of pieces.

I didn't own one dress.

* * *

**Lumaria's POV**

Steffan was at my house that night. We did homework, like we usually did when he was over on a weekday, but silence hung over us the whole time, which wasn't normal. Every time he glanced up from his work, I could see the so-what-happened expression in his eyes behind his glasses. I decided to put it off, not really wanting to talk about it. We rehearsed our lines for the play a little bit but Steffan's curiosity got the best of him after only ten minutes of practicing.

"How'd it go with Renale? Did she slap you?" He joked. Thank god, the question wasn't about Hikari.

"She said yes!" I replied.

"Really? That's awesome, but Hikari's going to be pissed at you," Steffan pointed out. "Speaking of that, was she on your case today?" He wondered.

I leaned against my bed. "Not at all, but she was on Renale's case all day. She won't quit until I dump Renale, if Hikari can't have me, nobody can,"

Steffan put a hand under his chin and though for a couple moments. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed, obviously disappointed in his thoughts. "I don't know how to help you, dude. I've never had a girlfriend before, but all I can say is ignore her and maybe she'll leave and Renale alone,"

I nodded towards him in thanks and we went straight back to rehearsing. Memories of Hikari and I were already fading and were being replaced with thoughts of school, the upcoming play in March, and Renale.

**Renale's POV**

That weekend when my dad was knocked out on the couch, drunk at two in the afternoon, I snuck out. I ran through town to the gardens, where I knew I would find Arina. I found her there talking with the same guy that had black hair from a little while ago, Braig I think. This time he had an eye patch and part of his right cheek was covered in bandages. Arina looked as bored as hell as her green pupils gazed around. Her eyes met mine as she gave a quick wave to me. Braig looked up and rested a hand on his hip.

"Hi Renale, you look excited. Was your dad actually nice for once?" She joked.

"No…" I replied breathlessly. "A boy…named Lumaria…asked me…to the…dance…next week…" I explained in between breaths.

Arina's eyes lit up. "A boy asked you out? You're already doing better than me; nobody wanted the freak to be their date when I was in high school," She replied.

"And nobody wanted to date the super-genius in high school, so it's perfect. Even and Arina, freak and genius dating," Braig commented.

Arina groaned with annoyance. "For the last time, Even and I ARE NOT DATING!" She yelled.

Braig held up his hands defensively. "I was only making a comment, even Ienzo thinks you're going out," He smirked.

"You just enjoy corrupting the kid, don't you?" Arina replied, crossing her arms.

"Well, I'll leave you two to have your 'girl talk' I gotta get going," Braig made quotation marks with his fingers before he walked away.

Arina rolled her eyes before she turned toward me again. "So, this Lumaria guy asked you out? Is he handsome? Is he nice?" She bombarded me with questions about my new boyfriend.

"He truly is handsome and he gave me a rose when he asked me out!" I was in a dream as I remembered the moments in my life. I shook my head as I remembered why I came here in the first place. "But the only problem is…I don't own a single dress or a piece of nice clothing,"

"Don't you go anywhere nice once in a while?" Arina raised an eyebrow.

"The only nice place my dad goes to is a bar," I muttered under my breath. "Can you help me pick out a dress?" I asked, sounding like a three-year-old.

Arina smiled a bit. "Defiantly, this could be fun actually…"

* * *

Later, Arina and I were walking down the sidewalk in downtown Radiant Garden. I had grabbed my purse on the way out of my house before, but Arina insisted that she would pay. I felt a little comforted but I was nervous too. I haven't worn a dress since my mom's funeral, and I had grown a lot since. We passed various shops and boutiques lining the sidewalk, and Arina ignored most of them. The majority of them were designer dress shops with dresses 300$ a piece. She led me to a small, but bright, shop next to the flower shop and took me inside.

The interior was much bigger than the exterior. The store was packed with racks overflowing with dress clothes and dresses EVERYWHERE. On the other side of the shop were racks lined neatly with shoes and every type of jewelry imaginable. I prayed she wasn't going to make me wear heels. She spun a rack around as her eyes scanned the dresses everywhere.

"Any preferences?" She asked as she examined an orange mermaid-style dress.

"I don't know, I haven't worn a dress in years. But I don't like the color orange just to tell you," I replied, making her put the dress back. "I don't even know if I'll look good in one,'

Arina gave me a confused/shocked look. "You're going to look great in one! You got a cute body and some nice curves there! If I look good in one, then you will look good in one!" She exclaimed. "Plus this shop has a lot of cute dresses that are pretty cheap too. I got the dress I wore for my cousin's wedding here a few weeks ago,"

"I don't like the really short dresses or strapless one, only because I'm afraid it'll fall down," I told her as she continued to go through dresses, finally answering her question.

"I learned that the hard way. I wore a strapless teal dress to my other cousin's sweet sixteen and it fell down in front of everyone, that was the most embarrassing moment of my life," She picked up a dressed and held onto it.

I gazed around with her and picked up a golden dress with rhinestones decorating the halter straps. Arina stared at white dress with a black strap around the bust line for a while before she shook her head. I had gotten a few dresses myself, but she was the expert, not me. Some of these dresses would fit her really well; she had a similar body build to me and had short, layered auburn hair and green eyes. Arina picked out a purple gown before she led me into the dressing rooms, thank god were the only ones there.

"Is this the part where I try on all of the different dresses that'll take about an hour?" I joked as Arina and I set down the dresses we picked out.

"Yes, take a couple dresses in the changing room with you and show them to me when you're done changing into them," She introduced.

The first dress I tried on was a long purple gown with light purple straps. Arina looked at me from head to toe and shook her head. The next dress was a black spaghetti strap dress with layers of bunched-up white fabric underneath the black skirt. I kinda liked it, but it made my butt look fat. The next one had a dark green bodice and a silver jewel in the center and the skirt had layers of white fabric flowing down to the floor **(Author: This dress is actually based off my ballet costume from a dance recital I was in). **Arina made a so-so motion with her hand, so I gave it to her to hang onto.

Dress after dress, rejection after rejection, I was getting exhausted. Who knew trying on a bunch of dresses was so tiring! Now, I wanted to find the perfect dress that I could impress Lumaria in, and fast because I was getting impatient. After I ran out of dresses to try, much to my relief, I poked my head out of the changing stall.

"Was there any dress that stood out at all?" I asked Arina.

"Some had really weird backs, one was too short, and another had a color that look REALLY bad on you…" She thought to herself as she mumbled under her breath. Her pale green eyes grew wide as she rushed out of the changing room.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. How could she ditch me at a time like this? I began to put my regular clothes back on, when she came running back. She handed me a dress, much to my displeasure, and told me to try it on. I carefully slipped it on and stepped out to let Arina see. Her eyes lit up and a smile crossed her face.

"Oh my god, that looks AMAZING on you!" She exclaimed, sounding more like a teenager than a twenty-three-year-old as she steered me toward the mirror.

My jaw dropped at the sight of myself. It was a simple spaghetti-strap black dress that ended a little above my knee and had a white ribbon tied around the bust line and white rimming the bottom. The tiny sparkles on the dress shimmered, even in the cheap lighting of the dressing room. Arina also picked up a satin three-quarter-length shrug and slid it over my shoulders. I turned and posed in the mirror, admiring my look.

"Whoa, I think I found my dress," I smiled to myself as Arina and I high-fived.

I quickly changed back into my regular clothes and we purchased the dress. Arina and I strode back as the sun began to set. I held the bag that contained my new dress and shrug at my side and I only could smile to myself. I just need to put up with Hikari for the nest week and then Lumaria and I will go to the dance together. As excited as I was, I had an uneasy feeling inside about going. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't. Hikari kept flashing through my mind, making me beginning to doubt weather, I should go or not…

**Author: Thank you SOO much to Euregatto for giving me an idea! I know what will happened later on, but I just need an idea for what should happen next. This has come so far from just a little idea that came to my head in the middle of math! I was origianlly going to make it a one-shot but now I'm glad I didn't.**

**Oh, and I'll be going away from the summer from June 29 to August 16 and I won't have acess to fanfiction. So if I don't update before that date, then I'll just be away for the summer. Hope you enjoyed!**

**~yukihikari99**

**PS You can check out the dress on my profile!**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lumaria's POV

The night of the dance had finally arrived. The night was perfect: not a cloud was in the sky and the full moon shone brightly onto Radiant Garden. I fidgeted with my tie as I examined myself in the mirror, anxious about the night. I was wearing a simple black vest over a white collared shirt, black slacks, and a silver tie that glittered slightly. I drew in my breath and pulled on my blazer, completing my look. A smile made its way across my lips as I pulled back my long pink hair into a low ponytail. Tonight was defiantly going to be a night I'll remember.

I stepped into the cool night air and began to walk to Renale's house. The fog from earlier in the afternoon had lifted and dewdrops clung to the grass. I was a little nervous; after all this was my first date with a girl I actually liked willingly. The stars shone upon the street as Renale's house came into view. My body tensed and the relaxed before I stepped up to the door and knocked.

Renale's appearance took my breath away. Instead of her normal apparel of old jeans and a t-shirt she wore a black dress that rode her curves magnificently. Silver lined the bottom and a sash was tied around the dress as well. Black ballet flats and a shrug replaced her converse and grey sweatshirt. A silver diamond necklace hung around her neck and a black clip pinned back her hair.

I found myself stuttering for words. Renale leaned against the doorframe and she smirked slightly.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She laughed.

My mouth finally worked again. "Come on, we should get going. You look magnificent," I complemented.

"Thanks, it's not what I would usually wear," Renale replied as we walked down the street. "A good friend of mine took me to get this dress,"

"She has good taste," I nodded at her.

We were silent as we walked through the moon-soaked streets. The night air was cool and quiet but as we neared the school, the sound of music followed through the air. Renale tensed slightly and gripped my arm. I squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled at her. Renale gave me a shaky smile in return as the school came into view.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her.

"A little, I don't like big crowds," She admitted, a blush crawling across her cheeks.

"Just stand by me and you'll be okay," I held her hand as we entered the school.

We walked down the hallway and into the gym where the dance was in full swing. A giant banner that read WELCOME hung above the doorway, green and red ribbons curling at the edges. Holiday colored streamers hung everywhere and the disco ball threw splashes of different hues everywhere. Students were dressed up and were dancing to the ear-pounding music that blasted from the massive speakers by the DJ.

Renale and I wondered through the swarm of students as the music blasted, her hand never leaving my grasp. Some students jokingly winked and whistled at us, much to our annoyance. I saw Lea leaning against the wall of the gym with Isa beside him, an eyebrow raised. The redhead quickly walked over, handing me a high-five.

"You finally got rid of Hikari? Nice dude," He nodded as Isa approached behind him.

Lea is the crazy kid that everyone seems to like. He has spiky red hair that stands up like flickering flames and green eyes. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a red shirt under a dark green vest. At least he had some holiday sprit in him. Isa, on the other hand, was Lea's complete opposite. He was calm and quiet most of the time. He had blue hair that spiked up slightly in the back and green eyes similar to Lea's. Isa was slightly anti-social, so I'm assuming Lea dragged him here only because he was wearing jeans and a dark blue hoodie with a crescent moon on the sleeve.

"Hey Lumaria, what's up?" Isa asked.

"Renale and I just got here, do you have dates?" I wondered, since most of the time girls who think they're hot are chasing them.

"Who would want to go out with a social reject like me?" Isa asked jokingly, a smile playing with his lips.

"He's dating the social reject," Renale nudged me slightly.

"I'm still single and proud of it!" Lea exclaimed as a couple girls squealed. "Gotta go! Fangirls! Have nice date!" He gave me a quick wave before he bolted with Isa behind him.

The lights dimmed as the quick beat of modern music faded and turned into a slow song. Couples around us fell into each and began to sway to the gentle music. I gently wrapped my arms around her waist as she rested her arms around my shoulders. Renale was slightly tense, but I soothed her by planting a quick kiss on her forehead. She smiled back as the soft words of the music floated through the air…

_I miss the sound of your voice  
__And I miss the rush of your skin  
__And I miss the still of the silence…  
__As you breathe out and I breathe in_

_If I could walk on water, if I could tell you what's next  
__Make you believe, make you forget…_

_So come one get higher and loosen my lips  
__Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
__Just to pull me down hard, and drown me in love_

_So come one get higher and loosen my lips  
__Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
__Just to pull me down hard, and drown me in love…_

_I miss the sound of your voice  
__The loudest thing in my head  
__And I ache to remember…  
__All the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said_

_If I could walk on water, if I could tell you what's next  
__Make you believe, make you forget…_

"Everything that's ever caused you pain," I whispered in her ear, finishing the sentence.

I leaned forward to kiss her, but something pulled me back. I whirled around and came face-to-face with a very pissed off Hikari. She was dressed in a really short (and by short I mean that if it were a hundredth of an inch shorter, you would see her underwear) dark green dress with a layered skirt. She was wearing way too much make-up, with at least three bottles of mascara alone.

"Lumaria, what the hell are doing with her?" She demanded.

"Beat it, Hikari. I thought this was a strict no bitches party," Renale growled as students began to gather around. Just what I needed: a fight between my ex-girlfriend and Renale.

"Same with me, I thought you would be so busy getting beat up by your dad to come," Hikari teased as Renale's hand shook. "You are just like him, a violent-"

"Shut the hell up!" Renale screamed at Hikari, who smirked. "Lumaria hated you, why do you keep coming back?"

"I should get whatever I want! I have the best grades, the best talent, and what is my reward? Nothing!" Hikari yelled. "You just come here, thinking you're better than me, and steal my boyfriend!"

"I'm not a complete slut like you! Lumaria likes me who I am, and not because I forced him too!" Renale shouted over the muttering voice of the students that surrounded us.

"You just want someone that makes you feel loved! Your dad hates you because you're just a teenage dirt bag! You don't have a life or any friends!" I could see Renale shaking slightly. "Nobody loves you because you're a violent jerk! You're afraid to get close to anyone because you're afraid they're going to leave you just like your mom!"

Renale just stood there, a hand over her heart. I could see her trying to fight back the tears, but her green eyes were welling up with tears. Hikari smirked, thinking she had won when she had just crossed the line.

"At least I'm not slutty and ungrateful! I'm actually happy with my looks and don't need two bottles of make-up to cover up the ugliness!" Renale screamed as she walked towards Hikari. "I actually know what to appreciate and don't expect anything! At least I'm not a spoiled, thickheaded, stuck-up, anorexic baby!" Renale's anger soared as she pushed Hikari. Hikari lost her balance on her five-inch heels and fell backwards into the refreshment table, breaking it im half. Fruit punch and hot coco spilled all over her dress and a small cake went flying and landed right on her head. Renale shot at her the final I'll-kill-you-later glare before she stomped out of the gym.

I ran after her, some of students muttering about the fight. I didn't care if it was about me; I just wanted to find Renale. The night outside had grown colder and my breath was like fog. Quiet sobs echoed through the night and they guided me towards Renale. She was sitting under the tall oak tree out front; tears flowing freely down her cheeks. I sat beside her and draped my blazer over her shoulder, making her look up in surprise.

"Lumaria…?" Her voice sounded unsteady.

"I know you're disappointed but you gave Hikari what she deserved back there: just deserts. Hikari was only saying that to make you feel bad," I put my arm around her shoulders.

"But s-she's right. I h-have no friends and I'm afraid to get close to anyone, because I'm a-afraid they'll leave me like my mom," Renale sobbed. "And if it wasn't for Arina, I wouldn't even be here right now…"

I hugged her tight. "I love you Renale, I don't need anything else when I'm around you. Not money, fame, or anything else…just you," I played with her beautiful blonde hair. "And you were right about Hikari, she is REALLY anorexic,"

Renale was silent for the longest time. I couldn't what she was thinking but she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. Tears still flowed down her face and dripped onto my shirt as snow began to fall over the town. Renale sobbed a couple more times before her green orbs met mine.

"Lumaria, I may not be the girl you want after you see this…" Renale turned her wrist over to reveal a mark that was a pale shade of red that went down to the crock of her elbow. It even looked recent and self-inflicted…my mouth fell open. I could only stare at her in shock.

"Y-Y-You…" I couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Yes, I even tried to commit suicide. Just before you met me," She finished.

* * *

Larxene looked at the ground. "Yeah, Renale felt so tormented and lost. She thought the world would've been better off without her,"

"Renale did have a little bit of Zexion in her," Marluxia laughed.

"And Lumaria was such a pretty boy back then, now that I look at it," Larxene rested a hand on her hip. "Namine was right: remembering one thing leads to another, exactly like a chain of memories. Reminisce can bring back so many memories that have been locked away inside out hearts for years. I wonder…would we dig up even more memories if we continue?"

Marluxia smirked playfully. "You're starting to sound like Vexen,"

"You're starting to sound like a smart-ass," Larxene replied. "Should we continue? We're only getting to the good part, Romeo,"

**Author: I've been struck by insperation! When Lumaria told her that he didn't money, fame...etc I got that from the song "If I Had You" By Adam Lambert. Speaking of him, I just saw him in concert and he was AMAZING! I feel really motivated now and I typed this whole thing up in literally and hour. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**~yukihikari99**

**PS The song Lumaria and Renale danced to was "Come on Get Higher" By Matt Nathanson**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Renale's POV

I stumbled into my house, bruised and bleeding from my elbows. My backpack slipped from my fingertips and I fell onto the carpet, my black eye twitching shut. My body hasn't ached this much since I fell off my bike in the park when I was in sixth grade. I breathed deeply for a couple seconds, trying to take the pain I was in off my mind. I forced myself to my knees and literally crawled to my room. Fingers grasping my nightstand, I pulled myself to my feet and glanced at myself in the mirror. I probably looked like Frankenstein's long lost cousin, minus the stitches.

My shin and eye was black, blue, and nearly swollen shut. Crimson liquid ran down my arm from my tumble on the sidewalk. The collar of my shirt was even tattered. I frowned at myself: why was it always me who got into these situations when I get beat up so badly I can barely move? Do people loathe me that much that it brings them pure bliss to see me bleed?

Hate: one of the strongest words in the dictionary. People use that word to describe me all the time. I hear it in the hallways, at lunch and, just about everywhere, I go. Still lost in my thoughts and I walk into the kitchen. Why do people hate? I never did anything to them in my life. Is it just because I speak my mind and step out of line people hate me? Even my own father hates me, and I'm his own blood. I pull a silver knife out of the drawer my face reflecting on the pointed blade.

If it brings the people bliss to see my blood, them I'll give them blood. The tip of the knife runs over my arm, red seeping from the cut skin. Pain makes it way up my arm, but somehow it feels good. Blood drips off my arm and onto the floor. I take the knife and run it over my shallow cut, making the blade of the knife turn red. Reality interrupts, making me drop the knife suddenly. My whole arm is red with _my_ blood. Now the only thing I can hear is my pain-stricken screams.

I fall to my knees, cradling my cut arm. Crimson drips onto the floor, making tiny pools beneath me. Shivers overtake my body as I press onto my arm with my sleeve, soaking it in red. One thought of regret takes over my mind as this whole catastrophe unfolds: what the hell was I thinking?

* * *

I stare at the snow-frosted ground beneath me, unable to look into Lumaria's eyes. Shame seeps into my bones and overtakes my body. I could feel Lumaria's gaze on me, but I don't know what his heart is telling him. Snow is still falling around us, the cold flakes melting as they touch my skin. Lumaria sighs deeply as he puts his arm around my shoulder, sending chills throughout my body.

"You cut yourself because you wanted to show everyone the blood on your hands…why would you even do that?" Lumaria's eyes are emotionless as he speaks to me.

"I didn't know what I was thinking at all, I just felt tired of feeling hate. I wanted to feel something else," I answered, keeping my head down.

"You only wanted to feel?" Lumaria's voice rose. "What kind of sick person bleeds just to feel?"

"I guess me," I sighed.

Lumaria pulls me closer to him using his fingertips to gently hold my chin up. His lips press against mine, making the tension of the moment ease away. I close my eyes and let myself fall into his arms. Everything that happened tonight disappeared from my mind: the fights with Hikari, telling Lumaria my crazy suicide attempt…and I only focus on the present moment. Lumaria pulls away and his sapphire eyes lock with my green.

"Would that have been a better feeling than pain?" He asks, keeping his voice steady.

I smile at him. "Any time," The tears that lingered behind my eyelids flowed down my cheeks.

Lumaria pulled me into another hug as he pulled me to my feet. I adjusted the jacket that was still draped over my shoulders as the two of us walked away from the blasting music coming from the high school. We walked across town through the falling snow, completely alone. We walk into my house, toss Lumaria's jacket on the armrest of the reclining chair, and kicked off my black ballet flats that were murdering my heels.

"Nice place," Lumaria commented, glancing around my living room and taking a seat on my couch.

"Thanks, I try to keep in order since my dad is at a bar 65 percent of the time," I smile back at him before I run into my room, closing the door behind me.

I toss off my dress and throw on an over-sized lounge pants and t-shirt. When I walk back into the room, Lumaria was fast asleep on the couch. I smile to myself, typical of him. Tossing a blanket on the pink-haired teen, I settle down next to him and fall into the deep clutches of sleep beside Lumaria. I felt his fingers tracing the curves of my face and playing with my hair. His soft touches gave me chills and soothed me to sleep, but nothing in the world could've prepared me for what was to come tomorrow...

* * *

The first rays of the golden sun broke the horizon and cast over Radiant Garden. Arina walked through the newly fallen snow that blanketed the town. Her short red hair was tucked under a grey beret and the cold wind blew around her, sending a mist of snow across the un-shoveled castle grounds. Ansem's castle loomed over her, snow clinging to the towers and icicles hung from the fountains. It was dead silent but this time there wasn't the background noise of the birds chirping.

"Ansem, I came early because…you…" Her voice trailed off as she realized the corridor was empty.

Arina raised an eyebrow in confusion as she walked further into the castle. It was completely silent. No footsteps against the carpet, no low chatter, just silence. The redhead turned into another corridor, expecting to see someone like Braig or Dilan, but again no one was there. Dead, eerie silence hung in the air of the empty halls.

"Braig? Dilan? Are you guys here?" She wondered aloud, her voice echoing off the walls.

Arina gulped, beginning to worry a little. Where was everyone?

"Even? Ienzo? If this is some kind of joke, you may as well give up now," Annoyance rose in her voice.

She almost kicked herself for even saying that. Why would a bunch of scientists play such a stupid joke on her? She jogged up a staircase and rounded a corner, where the apprentices' rooms were. Arina stepped into Even's room and looked at his bed, only to find it neatly made. His desk had piles of notes and books all over, but there was no sign of the blonde. Arina checked Ienzo's room, which was as empty as Even's.

"What the…?" The red-haired woman was now annoyed.

She checked everyone else's rooms, but they were all neat and empty. Where were they and what happened? Around the corner? Bermuda? Arina face-palmed herself: if they went on vacation Even would've told her. Thoughts of Even getting hurt made her twitch. She opened the door to Ansem's study, hoping to see the old man, but the only thing close to a person in the room was the portrait of Xehanort hanging up.

Giving up, she walked back outside and was greeted with the newspaper smacking her in the face. Arina pulled the paper off her face and sighed with annoyance.

"Sorry!" The paperboy yelled back.

Grumbling to herself, she read the front page hoping for a story or article that wasn't depressing for once. She flipped through the paper and one headline caught her eye. After reading a few sentences, her green orbs grew huge and the paper slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. The redhead just stood there, far too shocked to take in what she had just read. One thought echoed in her mind at the moment…Renale.

* * *

**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

My eyes flew open, awakened by the loud banging on my door. Lumaria was still fast asleep next to me, undisturbed by my rude awakening. I forced myself to my feet and stumbled to the door, still feeling totally out of it. I opened the door and much to my surprise, Arina stood in the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she was crying, and she held today's newspaper in her hand.

"…Arina? It's nine-thirty what are you doing here?" I leaned against the doorframe as the cold wind sent shivers through my body.

She hands me the newspaper and gulps. "Y-Your father's…dead,"

I laughed. Not soft, giddy laughter, but loud and obnoxious. "Dead? How?" What was in that fruit punch at the dance?

"He was drunk and he was driving home when he slammed into a tree. The car swerved out of control and he crashed into a telephone pole," She explained.

I was giggling to myself as I looked at the headline: **LOCAL MAN KILLED IN CAR CRASH. **Under the headline was a picture of my dad and his demolished pick-up truck. My laughter died within a second. This wasn't a dream caused from that possibly poisoned fruit punch; it was real. I could stand there and stare at the headline as Arina's quiet sobs broke the silence.

"That's not all…Ansem and his apprentices have gone missing," Tears streamed down her face. "I looked in his castle and there was no sign of anyone anywhere. They're gone and even possibly…dead," She roughly wiped away her tears.

My hands trembled as Lumaria approached me, still wearing his white shirt and black slacks. I couldn't process this…first my mom and now my dad. The room spun as Lumaria snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, trying to get me to speak. The room shook, as Arina's eyes grew wide.

"Renale, are you okay!" She screamed.

"Renale, what happened?" Lumaria's eyes grew huge.

I couldn't focus anymore the room's colors faded into grey and spun around me. My muscles were shaking violently and Lumaria was screaming at me. Then…

"Renale!"

…black.

* * *

Eyes fluttering open, I try to make out where I am. A cool breeze is blowing across my face and I hear Lumaria's soothing voice trying to comfort me. He squeezes my hand as I blink a few times, trying to clear my vision. My head is pounding and my skin is clammy with sweat. Everything clears up and Arina's gentle eyes are on me.

"Renale, are you okay?" She asks as she continues to fan me with a notebook.

"Kind…of, where am I?" I groaned.

"You fainted and Arina got scared so she took you back to her house," Lumaria explained, still holding my hand. "Your father died in a car accident so Arina thought she might as well take care of you,"

I slowly sat up and recognized the small living room connecting to the kitchen in the house. I rub my head as Lumaria takes a seat next to me, now dressed in jeans and a dark green sweatshirt. I could see the sorrow and melancholy in his normally bright blue orbs, just like the ones my dad used to have: before my mom died.

My dad had the kindest blue eyes that would sparkle in sunlight. I would always look into his eyes when I was little and feel…safe. But then shortly after my mom's funeral, he completely changed. Instead of using soft words to dry my tears, he would dry them with a slap to the face. I would bite my lip, run into my room, and sob quietly under my bed. He didn't give a damn about me anymore, because in his heart he believed that I caused my mother's death. After all, she pushed me out of the way to stop the car from hitting me.

I grew apart from the once many friends I had; only out of fear of being hated. My dad turned to alcohol to soothe the hole in his heart but that only made things worse. I grew up with a stone cold heart and snapped at everyone with pissed me off. Before I knew it, I was in high school and was the social reject. Hikari would rub it in my face my mom was dead. I was actually…jealous. Her mom got her everything she ever wanted while I had to deal with my alcoholic dad. I buried my face in Lumaria's chest as tears broke through my eyelids and poured down my face.

* * *

A week later, after my dad's funeral I lay in my new bed. Well, it was actually the guest bed in Arina's house. After my dad died, she went to court to legally adopt me. Now it was me, her, and her brother Haru. I close my eyes and let the soothing sounds of the night fill my ears. Crickets chirping, the soft chatter of Arina and Haru down the hall, the knocking on the windows…wait, knocking?

I sit up in bed, and glanced out the window. A small tree's finger-like branches are tapping against the pane, a shoulder bag hanging off it…what the hell? I pulled the window open and came face-to-face with a hobo. He pulled off his beanie, revealing his gorgeous pink locks…

"Lumaria?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Lumaria put a finger to his lips. "Do want to escape your life here?" He asked, a stern expression in his eyes.

"Yes," I replied uneasily.

Lumaria signaled to the window. "Then let's go,"

I grabbed his forearm. "Wait, what about Arina? First she lost Even and then me…she'll be devastated,"

The pink-haired teen shrugged. "Physical wounds heal so can metal wounds, so come on. We'll escape this hell of a town together,"

I stared into his beautiful blue eyes that seemed to trap in his ever-lasting gaze. Lumaria planted a quick kiss on the cheek and jumped out the window. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, my grey sweatshirt, my arm warmers, and my converse with a lighting bolt on them. Grabbing my shoulder bag, I jumped out of the window, leaving behind Arina. Lumaria took my hand and we ran away from the town…

…and away from the life we once knew.

_There's a place off Ocean Avenue  
__Where I used to sit and talk with you  
__We were both 16 and it felt so right  
__Sleeping all day, staying up all night_

_There's a place on the corner of Cherry Street  
__We would on the beach in out bare feet  
__We were both 18 and it felt so right  
__Sleeping all day, staying up all night_

_If I could find you now things would get better  
__We could leave this town and run forever  
__Let your waves crash down on me and take me away_

_There's a piece of you that's here with me  
__It's everywhere I go, it's everything I see  
__When I sleep, I dream and it gets me by  
__I can make believe that you're here…tonight  
__That you're here tonight…_

_If I could find you now things would get better  
__We could leave this town and run forever  
__I know somewhere somehow, we'll be together  
__Let your waves crash down on me and take me away_

_I remember the look in your eyes  
__When I told you that this was goodbye  
__You were begging me not tonight, not here, not now  
__We're looking up at the same night sky  
__And keep pretending the sun will not rise  
__We'll be together for one more night  
__Somewhere, somehow_

_If I could find you now things would get better  
__We could leave this town and run forever  
__I know somewhere somehow, we'll be together  
__Let your waves crash down on me and take me away…_

Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard

**Author: Depression city, huh? I've been thinking about this chapter all summer and I typed it up in about two days, wow. Thanks for reading!**

**~yukihikari99**


	9. Chapter 8

**It's not over yet everyone! I still have some more twists up my sleeve. Sorry for the long update, my personal life got in the way. Thanks for everyone who has been reviwing, you guys rock! Anywho, enjoy!**

Chapter 8  
Lumaria's POV

It's been five years since we fled that nightmarish town. I had an idea of where we were going, but not exactly. We spent a night in a motel that was infested with mice. Then we walked along a path in the woods until we ran into a clearing with targets hanging from the tree's branches. That was where we met Yuffie, who claimed she was a ninja. She took us to a small home within the boundaries of Traverse Town. She introduced us to her friends Aerith, the very colorful Cid, and Leon. Aerith was kind enough to find us a small cozy house to live in and we were grateful for her.

We enrolled in a high school the next town over, which was five minutes from the boundaries. They bought the old 'orphans who didn't have any money' trick. We both finished up high school, giving each other a shoulder to lean on when we needed it, and earning money from part-time jobs. But some nights Renale would be lost in her thoughts about what happened in Radiant Garden before we fled. What DID happen to Ansem and his apprentices? Was Arina okay? I've been trying to forget about my other life, but sometimes pieces of that life would drift back to me. Then that would connect to more and more memories, like a chain…

* * *

I was running and couldn't stop, even if I wanted to. Ragged, angry gasps came from my predator, hot on my heels. My eyes were focused on the dark, wet streets of this abandoned city ahead of me. My wet shirt clung to my body as the rain fell in buckets from the enraged skies. I turned a corner as the beast behind me let out an ear-piercing scream. Crap, I'm screwed without at least a weapon to defend myself.

My feet took me to a skyscraper that lit up the dark night sky that stood in the middle of an empty area. I turned around just to see my opponent show its face. Instead of a monster, a human figure stood in its place. It was dressed in a long black coat with a hood pulled over their features. Silver beads that shone dimly decorated the collar. The figure's black boots splashed through puddles as he approached me. I couldn't help but shake at this guy's overpowering aura.

"Who are you?" I demanded, striking a fighting stance despite my shaky laegs.

The figure chuckled. "Lumaria, you don't know of your own fate? How sad…" His voice sent a chill through my spine.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, nor do I care!" I charged at the figure and attempted to punch him right where the arrogant smirk probably was.

The man grabbed my fist and kicked me in the gut. I wet flying through the air and fell hard onto the ground. I barely had the chance to stand up before he held me up by my shirt collar and threw me across the empty space. I flipped in mid-air and landed on my feet. My blue eyes scanned the area for something to fight with as the man charged at me. I sidestepped to the left, noticing a small silver pole lying on the ground. Grabbing at it, the man tried to kick me but I blocked it with the pole. The man stumbled, but didn't fall. He tried to punch me but I knocked away his hand with the pole instinctively.

The man shook out his hand as I swung the pole under his feet. He jumped up and clenched his fist, preparing to strike. I didn't have to react before his fist contacted with my face. I flew through the air, slamming into the side of the skyscraper. Coughing up dots of crimson, the man slowly approached me. I quickly climbed to my feet and swung the pole at my opponent, hoping to knock him off his feet. Reacting quickly, he jumped back and charged at me once more. I quickly swung the pole at his legs, making a nasty cut on his shin.

Wait, how could a pole cut his shin?

I could only stare at the pole in utter confusion as it glowed white. It seemed to float above my hands as it took on a different shape. A curved blade blossomed from the top as the man stood there, completely unfazed by my glowing pole. My eyes never left my weapon as it stopped glowing and dropped gently back into my hands. My pole was now a scythe with a pink blade and a green shaft. Okay, what the hell is happening?

"You've finally awakened Graceful Dahlia, well done Lumaria." The man sneered from under his hood.

I pointed the scythe at the man. "Who and what are you? I want answers!" I demanded.

The figure pulled back his hood as a few flower petals danced around his head. I couldn't even comprehend what I saw for a whole five seconds. It was…me: same curly pink hair and sapphire eyes. My hair nearly reached mid-back while his brushed against his shoulders, and his eyes sparkled with arrogance. I trembled in fear, gripping my new scythe in fear.

"Surprised? You shouldn't be. After all I am your fate," Lumaria II smirked once more.

I growled under my breath. "Not if I can change it!" I ran towards him at full speed before leaping into the air, scythe raised above my head.

A sharp _CLANG! _echoed through the damp air. My newfound shock was Lumaria II was holding the EXACT same weapon as me. He pushed my scythe away before he attempted to swing his at me. I blocked it easily and jumped back as Lumaria II slashed at my arm, making a clean cut. I gripped my arm as pain made its way up my arm and the smell of blood invaded my nostrils. Lumaria II charged at me again but I blocked it, my arm stinging painfully.

Lumaria II pulled back his scythe and held it up to the sky. The blade glowed white and he jumped into the air, vanishing from my sight. I barely had time to react before he reappeared in front of me and slash at my shoulder. Gritting my teeth in pain, I swung my scythe at him but he dodged it as if it were child's play. He charged at me again and I knocked his aside, using the shaft of my sycthe. I smirked, knowing I had a chance at getting the upper ground in this battle.

My arrogance cost me the battle. I felt something slam into me, throwing me into the air. Then more glowing red dots shot at me, sending jolts of pain throughout my body. I felt Lumaria II jumped up behind me, probably smirking with victory, and whispered in my ear:

"Nothing you can do will change your fate…Marluixa,"

"No!" I screamed.

My hands sank into the soft cushioning beneath me. Eyes darting around the room, I examined my surrounding. I wasn't in that dark city and Lumaria II was nowhere to be found. I lay awake on the couch in the tiny living room of my house. Even with my racing heart and my cold sweat-drenched shirt, I managed to sigh with relief. Just a dream, just a very realistic dream. Outside, the sun was beginning to climb slowly over the horizon sending orange and pale blue beams across the sky. I groaned with annoyance, there goes another sleepless night. Muttering to myself, I reluctantly pull myself to my feet and start to get ready for the day.

"Lumaria, are sure you haven't gone crazy?" Renale raised an eyebrow after I finished describing my dream at breakfast.

"Positive, it was the same dream as the one last week. I've had this dream at least three times, and I think it's trying to tell me something," I probably sounded like a lunatic.

Renale was lost in her thoughts for the longest time. I tried to read her acidic green eyes, but only a thoughtful expression was there. Her lips moved as if she was murmuring something, and then she shook her head.

"Do you think it has something to do with the heartless popping up all over town?" Renale wondered.

"There weren't any heartless in my dream, but the figure was giving off a nasty aura that reminded me of heartless," I answered. "In fact when I was running from him, his screams sounded a lot like a heartless roaring,"

"But how can a heartless look exactly like a human? That's impossible," Renale pointed out, tossing back her short blonde hair.

"Maybe not, it can shape shift or make illusion to make itself look like me," I probably sounded crazy.

Renale shook her head before she stood up and lightly kissed me on my forehead. "You're just messing with me now, and that sounds like something a lunatic out of an asylum would say. Be careful going to Leon's today, there's a rumor going around town that a giant heartless pops up around the clock tower everytime the clock tower strikes noon,"

"Now who's that crazy one?" I wagged my head and trudged to my room to get ready for the day.

* * *

"No," A stern voice replied. "We still don't have enough,"

"Sir, we've just recruited numbers nine and ten, and it wasn't easy," The man sitting across him sighed, sinking into his chair. "Can't we get a break? I'm getting too old for this,"

A swirl of darkness circled one of their towering chairs and another fellow member appeared. He pulled back his hood, revealing his platinum blonde hair and disappointed green irises. Their leader raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

"Well? What information do you have for me Vexen?" He asked.

Vexen shook his head. "Nothing, Xemnas. We're still the only ten Nobodies that actually look and act like humans. I did a through recon of every world we know of and nothing has showed up," He reported as Xemnas sighed in annoyance.

"Question Xemnas," The newbie sitting a few seats away from the scientist, Demyx, started. "Why are we called Organization XIII when there's only ten of us?"

"Technically shouldn't we be Organization X?" Another member with fiery red hair, Axel, pointed out.

"We're getting off track!" Xemnas boomed, silencing the members. "We need a few more members because it'll only get us closer to Kingdom Hearts. But from Vexen's report we have no one to recruit!" The silver-haired Nobody ranted. "But I suppose, what can we do about it?" He sighed.

"We'll just bide our time, and see what comes up," Xemnas's right-hand man, Saix, agreed.

"Everyone, you're dissmissed. Get out of my sight," Xemnas commanded, an annoyed twinge to his voice. The ten Nobodies left without a word between any of them.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"I honestly didn't give a second thought about Lumaria's dream," Larxene leaned against the white walls of the castle, her acid-colored eyes clouded with nostalgia. "I thought he was overacting, but fate was trying to warn both of us,"

Marluxia was silent as he sorted through his thoughts. "That whole day, Lumaria tried to convince himself he was overacting too. But his heart was telling him the truth. Ironic how his heart actually turned him-" Marluxia placed a hand over his heart as a flicker of Lumaria's determination lit up his chest.

Larxene raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Mar?"

Marluxia smiled to himself. "Nothing…I just thought I felt Lumaria's last emotion,"

Larxene chuckled to herself. "You're delusional, Nobodies can't feel,"

"We can't feel with our non-existent hearts," The assassin began. "But we can feel in our memories,"

* * *

Renale's POV

Sunlight fluttered through the open windows as I leaned against the black countertop. The Blackbird Tavern was empty, besides a few chefs in the kitchen and I. Everyone else had gone on lunch break, but I wasn't hungry at all. My stomach was weighed down with a bad feeling I couldn't shake off. Ever since the conversation with Lumaria this morning, my head's been swimming in a sea of endless nonsense. Lumaria was just overacting, I tried to tell myself but my words held no reassurance.

I looked up as a young woman entered the tavern. The waiter seated her while I reluctantly pulled out my pen and walked over to her table.

"Hello and welcome to the Blackbird Tavern," I recited boardly. "Is there anything I can get you on this fine day?"

"Can I please have…" The woman's voice trailed off. "…Renale?"

I snapped out of my daze and glanced at the woman. She had long ember-colored hair tied back into a neat ponytail and pale green eyes that were wide with shock. She was wearing a simple grey jacket with ruffled edges over a black shirt and knee-length skirt. My pen fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor.

"Renale is that really you?" She asked with a compassionate, motherly tone.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Yes, it's me Arina," I threw myself into her arms and cried.

Ever since my father died, tears have never escaped my eyelids. Not telling Arina what Lumaria and I had done was the only regret I had from Radiant Garden. I felt so bad only because I ran away after her boyfriend (or something along those lines) mysteriously went missing. Arina held me in her embrace like the way a mother holds a child, which was the case since she was the closest thing I had for a mom since my biological one died.

"Renale, where have you been? I was worried," Arina wiped the tears from her eyes. "After you left, my brother and I put up missing posters of you everywhere. The town even sent out search parties to look for you along with Ansem and his apprentices," Arina pulled a picture out of her wallet.

"Where…they ever found?" I asked, imminently regretting that I said it after I saw the sadness in Arina's eyes.

Arina looked down at the picture. "No, they just vanished without a trace and have been missing for years. This is all I have left to remember Even by," She explained, handing me the picture.

The first thing that came to my mind upon seeing this picture was the family portrait that hung in my room. The photo was just a simple picture of Braig, Even and Arina, most likely at a party judging by their outfits. Even had his arm around Arina while Braig was leaning on the redhead's shoulder, grinning and flashing the camera a thumbs-up. They looked so…happy like my family did in my family portrait, like nothing bad would ever happen.

But of course, **EVERYTHING** fell apart.

"Is Lumaria okay? He's 21 now, right?" Arina's soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, but he says he's been having some strange dreams lately," I began. "It's about him getting attacked by himself but his other self is roaring like a heartless, or something. I think he's just crazy," I blew a lock of flaxen hair out of my eyes.

Arina was silent for a while. "I would watch out for Lumaria if I were you. Heartless are becoming a bigger problem, everywhere. In Radiant Garden, a year ago, a boy was attacked by heartless and never seen again. Then last month another boy was attacked and was never seen again," Arina explained. "I was actually starting to think you and Lumaria had a heartless related disappearance but-" A piercing crack sliced through the air as glass flew.

I fell backwards, the rigid edges of glass cut my skin as I slammed against the floor and the wind leapt out of me. I lay there, trying to catch my breath when the limping form of Lumaria pulled me to my feet. Honestly, he looked like a truck hit him. Blood dyed his pink bangs red and ran down the side of his face like a waterfall. His left sleeve was torn off and the cuffs of his jeans were in shreds.

"Lumaria, what's happening?" I demanded as I carefully pulled a shard of glass out of my arm, flinching in pain.

"HUGE heartless is attacking the clock tower area, like you said," He replied, picking up a long pole and holding it as if it were a long sword. "Leon, Cid, Yuffie, and I are trying to keep it from getting to other areas of the town but it's not working. Ya think you can give us a hand?" He asked me.

I gave the pinkie the are-you-freaking-insane look. "Do I look like I take samurai lessons in my free time?" I almost screamed at him.

Lumaria's head jerked around the, now destroyed, tavern trying to find a weapon. A light bulb went off in his head and he ran into the kitchen. Less than a second later, he bolted out again and tossed me a few butcher knives. I raised an eyebrow at him again, but the man smirked at me, bringing out the devious side of him.

"Who said you needed to have samurai abilities to fight? Those are pretty decent weapons!" He flicked his head toward the demolished glass window and sped out of the building and back onto the battlefield outside with me hesitantly followed.

The heartless in front of the clock tower looked like it fell from hell itself. It was at ten feet of pure muscle and destruction. Its long fangs could easily cut through a pile of steaks and its claws were as long as my legs. Its eyes were just narrow red slits on the sides of its head. I tightened my grip on my knives, feeling my knees tremble as those horrible red eyes locked onto me.

The heartless jumped high into air and raised its claws, ready to gut me. I jumped back threw a knife as hard as I could at the heartless. It would have been a good shot; if the knife didn't bounce right off the heartless's skin! The beast charged at with bared fangs while I just stood there, frozen in disbelief. Funny thing was, I couldn't move until **AFTER **the heartless picked me up by the back on my shirt and threw me across the square. My breath flew out of me when I hit the ground. The heartless seized the opportunity and raised its claws once more to kill me.

A gunshot echoed through the air as the heartless screamed in pain. Leon stood firmly in front of me, his Gunblade smoking. I quickly climbed to my feet as the heartless charged at us again. Cid jumped up from behind the beast with his spear raised and jabbed it into the heartless's skull. The heartless fell to its knees and let out the loudest ear-shattering scream I've ever heard.

"Now Yuffie!" Cid screamed over the heartless's roar.

Yuffie nodded and threw a dozen kunais over the beast, thick rope trailing behind the weapons. The heartless struggled beneath the rope, growling at us ferociously. The beast let out another roar and bucked, snapping the rope like a frail twig and bolted straight at me. Me being an idiot, I threw my second knife at the heartless at LEAST hoping to make a decent-sized cut. But no, the knife simply bounced off the heartless like a bouncy ball. You'll never guess what I did next:

I ran like hell was after me.

I gripped my last knife to try to reassure myself, but it would do little damage against this thing. My acid-colored orbs darted around the area, looking for something, anything, that looked like it would be a decent weapon. My legs halted and I faced at the beast as if facing death itself. I held out my last knife, shakily aiming for its eyes, this was probably the only spot I could hit it. I shut my eyes, braced myself for a mortal blow, and threw the last knife at the heartless.

I was expecting death to hold out its arms for me, but Lady luck was still with me. Or should I say Lady okay-what-that-hell-just-freaking-happened?

Electric shockwaves flew threw the air as the heartless screamed with agony. My eyes cracked open and my ordinary butcher knife was wedged in the corner of the heartless's eye and sending electric charges throughout the heartless. But the weird thing was my knife was now a yellow and blue and shaped sorta like Yuffie's kunais.

"Wow, Renale I didn't know you could control lighting!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded.

"…You just threw…that knife and…lighting shot out of it…" A confused Lumaria explained.

The world stopped as I looked at my hand and saw I was holding more yellow and blue kunais between my fingers. Was I dreaming or what? Of course, since I was oblivious to the world around me, I didn't see (or hear) the heartless charging at me once again. Leon jumped in front of me and fired his gunblade at the heartless. Lumaria leapt into action as well, held his pole above his hand, and slammed it into the skull of the heartless. The thing didn't even have the strength to scream it was so beat up. The defeated heartless simply fell to the ground.

Cid and Yuffie fell back still clutching their weapons tightly. I followed their example, gripping my new knives as Lumaria jumped off the heartless's crushed skull, and held out his pole defensively. Leon's penetrating dark eyes never left the fallen form of the heartless. I forced myself to breathe slowly as tension held its ground in the air. Yuffie turned toward Leon, her shuriken still high in the air.

"Leon, is it really necessary for us to stand like this when it's most likely dead?" She complained.

"Keep your guard up, Yuffie. It's probably trying to trick us," Leon whispered.

Right on cue, a blur of motion whizzed above Yuffie and landed gracefully behind her. Crimson erupted from her shoulder and she fell like a rock onto the ground, clutching her bloody shoulder.

"Yuffie!" I cried, rushing to the ninja's side.

Her headband, now cut in two, lay on the ground beside her as whimpers of pain cried out from her shaken body. I grabbed the two pieces of her headband and carefully wrapped her shoulder between the two pieces. A tiny stream of blood from a small cut on her forehead ran down the bridge of her nose and cheek. I tore off a piece of my sleeve and pressed that against her forehead as well.

"Renale…it hurts," Yuffie moaned.

An image of me cutting my wrist back when I was fifteen flashed into my head. My hand gripped Yuffie's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know Yuffie, I know," I whispered as Cid ran over.

Yuffie leaned against me as I arose, still moaning in pain as her injured shoulder throbbed. I carefully put Yuffie good arm over Cid's shoulder, while getting a confused look from the pilot.

"Get her somewhere safe and take care of her wound. I'll stay back and take care of this thing," I instructed.

Cid nodded and dragged Yuffie of the battlefield, the ninja now crying from the awful pain. Sympathy ached in my heart but I shook off the feelings and ran straight to hell.

I jumped above the monster and threw a sparking knife at the beast, but it jumped to the side and earned a smack in the face from Lumaria's pole. The heartless swiped at the pinkie and Lumaria jumped back, avoiding another swipe from the heartless. Lumaria fell back a few more feet before he swung his pole at the heartless, only scratching it on its half-demolished face. Leon jumped on the heartless's back and fired his Gunblade at point blank; straight into the heartless's back.

The heartless flinched slightly before prying Leon off his back and throwing the man across the Square. Leon flipped in mid-air and jumped off the wall of the clock tower and fired another shot at the beast. That was when I rushed in and threw another sparking knife at the creature. The heartless screamed in pain as electricity ran through its veins. Lumaria joined the rain of attacks and threw his pole at the heartless, mindful of the lighting running within the creature. Sure enough, the pole struck the poor thing in the back, making the heartless roar in pain again.

"Renale, your lighting knives!" Lumaria ordered.

I smirked towards the pink-haired man and charged at the heartless. Jumping in the air, I braced myself for the worst and threw two more knives at the heartless. The two struck the heartless in the chest before I shot a weak bolt of lighting out of my fingertips. It may have small feeble, but it was strong enough to jolt the heartless hard. The heartless screamed again before it fell to the ground, hoarsely growls coming from its throat.

I lowered my guard, ignoring Leon's advice and sighed in relief. The heartless defiantly dead, there's no possible way it could've survived that. Leon held his ground but as soon as the heartless lay still and quiet, he dropped his guard like the rest of us. I took a final look at the dead heartless and began following Leon and Lumaria back to the house, where Yuffie and Cid probably were.

To this day as Larxene, I always regretted dropping my guard. What happened next would be embedded in my heart forever, even if it didn't exist. I wish I was more aware of my surroundings and I could've stopped it from happening, or at least tried. But because it was so fast, I never saw it coming until that frantic voice tried to save me.

"Renale!"

I whipped my head around only to see the heartless's claws swipe across Lumaria's chest, black smoke dancing from the tips of its claws. Tears began pouring down my face as Lumaria's scream echoed through the town. More black smoke swirled around his body, as he screams grew louder. Do you ever have that feeling when you friend is injured and you can't do anything about it? Multiply that times twenty and have my hysteria.

Lumaria looked back at me with a terrified look in his eyes as something floated out of his chest-a heart. It floated higher and higher before it shattered like glass. Lumaria stopped screaming and his body went limp as the black smoke pulled away from his body. Blood soaked his clothes as his rose-pink locks framed his pale face, stained with tears and blood. His sapphire orbs were closed, never to be opened again.

"Lumaria…" Sobbed escaped my throat as I gripped his hand.

Suddenly Lumaria's body was swept upward and my hand was pulled away from his. I looked up as a man towered above me with Lumaria's body thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The man was dressed in a long black coat with silver beads decorating the front. The hood was pulled over his head, hiding his face from me.

Anger boiled inside me as I jumped to my feet and tried to tackle that bastard. The man simply held up his foot and kicked me in the gut, knocking the breath out of me. I fell to the ground, gasping for breath as the man stood over me chuckling to himself.

"It's no use, he can't feel anymore so what's the point of keeping him here?" He asked me.

"I don't know what you're talking about and I don't give a damn about it either!" I screamed, climbing to my feet and punching the man's collarbone.

The man stumbled, which gave me just enough time and kick him in the gut like did to me. The man stumbled backwards, still holding Lumaria's limp body, and I slapped his across the face, knocking off his hood. The man was still standing but he stared at the ground, letting his long platinum blonde hair hide his face. He finally looked at me with his jade-colored eyes before he smirked, the classic mad-scientist smirk that makes your skin crawl right off your body.

"Your friend isn't dead, first and foremost," He waved his other hand; making a swirl of black and purple appear behind him. "Second, that determination to protect your loved ones will cause you to lose everything sooner or later like your friend,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I screamed at him against as tears continued to roll down my face.

The man chuckled to himself. "You'll see soon enough," Was all he said before he stepped into the swirl behind him and disappeared.

I just stood there, unable to take what just happened. Lumaria paid with his life to save me because I was too careless to hold my guard. I fell to my knees as Leon finally came running back into the Clocktower Square. Geez, you couldn't have been here FIVE MINUTES AGO? His eyes held shock as he scanned the area from Lumaria. The only thing that was left was the pole he used in the battle against the heartless.

"Renale…where's Lumaria?" Leon asked, crouching beside me.

Another tear made its way down my, already, stained cheek. "He's…gone,"

**Author: I actually almost cried writing this chapter. And I DO NOT support MarVex just because I made Vexen recruit Lumaria, or Marluxia in this case. i don't have anything else to but my usual: Hope you enjoyed!**

**~yukihikari99**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Lumaria's POV

Pain. That was the only thing I could feel. Blood spat from my mouth as I screamed, straining my throat even more. My life was whizzing past me faster than an express train. Memories of my life blew past me and…Renale entered my thoughts. The only girl that made my heart pound whenever I saw her, the only girl who I kissed passionately, and the only girl who understood me. My whole body was numb with immense pain, but my heart was aching for her.

The look in my beloved's eyes made me want to scream even more. But my throat was killing me from coughing up so much blood. Blackness started pulling at my vision and the world spun. All this pain was worth it, knowing that Renale was safe and, most importantly, alive. The ground rushed up to meet my body, sending a tsunami of pain through me. Numbness washed away the pain in both my chest and heart as darkness ruled my vision. Death caught me in open arms.

* * *

Whatever happened to me while I was out was a mystery. Fuzzy outlines of people danced in my vision and their voices flowed around me. I tried to listen but head was buzzing. My voice wouldn't work either; my throat was dry and sore from my screaming. What's going on? Where am I? Questions I yearned to ask remained inside my head, unsaid and unheard. The chattering figures strolled over to where I was and stood above me. One of the men waved his hand above me, making blurry gold shapes appear.

"You want to feel again?" The golden shapes spun as the man loomed over me. "I can help you achieve that goal number XI, or should I say…" A flash of golden light cloaked my vision for a second. "…Marluxia,"

I fell back into inky blackness before I could even think about what just happened.

* * *

The next time I finally came around for good. My eyes cracked open as I groaned in pain. My whole body was stiff and my chest felt like a brick of lead was sitting on it. I turned my head to the side, slowly clenching and unclenching my hands into fists, making sure I could still feel my hands and arms. My head buzzed as s figure dressed in a long black garment strode into the room and stood over me. The only feature that stood out on his blurry face was his golden eyes. Or should I say eye?

"Rise n' shine sleeping beauty! You've been out for days!" He exclaimed.

"Where…what…happened?" Those three words made my throat sting.

My vision cleared, along with my surroundings. The room I was in had dusty white colored walls with a weird grey symbol painted all over the walls. I was lying on a bed with a soft white sheet pulled over my aching body. The man standing above me had long black hair streaked with grey tied back into a low ponytail and golden eyes, err…eye. An eye patch hid his left eye and a faded red scar stretched up from his chin and ended right below his right eye. He was dressed in a long black coat with silver beads decorating the front along with black boots with silver lining the top.

The man shook his head. "Dude, when Vexen first brought you in you were bleeding like HELL. Vexen almost couldn't stitch your wounds closed they were so bad. But after he did you were sound asleep, but then again you were out cold when he brought you in anyway," He explained. "So now here you are, three days later as number XI in Organization XIII!" He added over-enthusiastically.

I propped myself up onto my elbows, mindful of my pain-stricken wounds. The blanket slid off my injured body, revealing my chest covered in bandages. I was also pretty sure my brow was bandaged too, but that didn't stop me from flashing the man a crazed look.

"What the hell is Organization XIII and why do you want me?" I asked.

"You don't have a heart anymore, a mental one at least, that's means you can't feel emotion. Wondering how you lost it? Your heart was eaten or consumed by darkness," The man leaned against wall and ran his finger along the scar on his cheek.

It took a few minutes to processes what he just said. "But…shouldn't I be a heartless?" My head buzzed loudly and I forced myself to lie back down.

"Yes and no, my friend. Usually when people's hearts get eaten, BOOM they're a heartless. But if a heart has a strong will, like our's, the shell acts on its own and wha-la! Nobodies are born, which is what you and me are," The man flashed me a smirk. "The name's Xigbar by the way,"

I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but I stopped. The man who was in my room before called me Marluxia, and so did the other me from my…dream. Everything clicked into place at the moment. When I heard myself roaring like a heartless, it meant I was going to get attacked by one and lose my heart! The black coat, its Organization XIII's coat! Marluxia, the name the man called me while I was still half-asleep! That dream was trying to warn me! I wanted to kick myself, knowing that I could've prevented this.

I was so caught up in my thoughts; I didn't notice the two men standing above me. One had long steel-colored hair that brushed past his shoulders and intimidating amber eyes. The man next to him had long blue hair, slightly spiked in the back, a faded red X scar across his face and the same golden eyes as Xigbar and silver head. The only difference was, his gaze made me want to crawl out of my skin, hide under a rock, and sit there in my sea of fear for the rest of my life.

"You're finally awake, XI. I was actually starting to think you were dead," The silver-haired man smirked at his morbid joke.

"Cut the crap. Why the hell do you want me here?" I demanded.

"That's certainly no way to talk to your superior…Marluxia," The silver-haired man's gaze lingered on me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I'm Lumaria! Not Marluxia!" I screamed, throwing off the blankets and standing up against my so-called superior; ignoring my screaming muscles.

The blue-haired man shifted his gaze towards me. "Don't you get it? You've lost your heart, the one thing that separates a Nobody from a Somebody. Lumaria had a heart, but now its gone," The sharp tint to his voice sent a memory flying at me. "You've been Marluxia ever since you heart has been eaten, do you finally understand?"

His words sent a knife through me. But the anger that could've been boiling inside me wasn't there. I placed a hand over my heart, only to feel the reassuring _thump-thump. _The sound that lets me know I'm still alive. But now, as numb and empty as I felt from either my wounds or lack of emotion, I didn't feel alive at all. Defeat should've been coursing through my veins right now, the emotion that should've been there was gone. The blue-haired man was right.

"…Fine, I'll be part of this organization. But you have to promise me that I'll see Renale again, soon. Weather I have my heart or not," The only thing I wanted my beloved to know was that I was okay.

The silver-haired man nodded. "I'll grant your wish as long you fill your quota. If you don't, I'll stop you from seeing your beloved and send you out on more missions. Now come, Saix and I have much to show you," He gestured towards the doorway and threw a black coat onto my bed-the same one that he, the blue haired man (Saix I assumed), and Xigbar were wearing.

The two left the room as I threw the coat on over my bandaged chest and black pants and followed them. I swear the place was a maze of endless corridors, but that wasn't what I was paying attention to. There was something about Saix's blue hair and face that brought back memories from Radiant Garden. It was how he waited to speak at the right moment that made me so nostalgic about him.

"Isa…? Isa, is that you?" I asked Saix.

Saix stopped in his tracks and then I was against the wall, his hand clutching my throat. His hair bristled and his golden eyes burned straight through mine. Even his scar stood out a little more on his furious features.

"Say that name one more time…" His voice was now a threatening growl as opposed to his normally calm voice. "…and I will make sure you never see the light of Kingdom Hearts,"

Saix took his hand off my throat as his hair settled back onto his shoulders. He shot me one last death glare before he continued following Xemnas as if nothing ever happened. Forcing myself to breathe slowly, I ran my fingers over the bruises dotting my neck. Even the slightest touch of a feather would've caused them to sting painfully. What was that all about? What's gotten into Isa over the years?

* * *

Renale's POV

The painted charcoal clouds that hung over the town reflected my mournful mood. Rain soaked through my black jacket and my drenched hair hugged my neck, but I didn't a crap. I stood alone in Clocktower Square while everyone else was inside. Lumaria's final moments replayed in my head persistently, which lead to me waking up in the middle of the night crying my devastated heart out. My fingers tightened around the bouquet of red roses in my hands as tears gathered behind my eyelids.

I walked out towards where Lumaria lay before he was taken and gently set down the bouquet of roses. A tiny smile made its way across my lips, despite the unbearable pain that numbed my heart. When Lumaria entered my thoughts, I still thought of the pink-haired, ocean-eyed, and down to earth teenager I fell in love with. Not the man that lay on the ground coated in blood because of his will to protect me. I ran my finger along the crimson rose petals, almost feeling Lumaria beside me.

"Renale?"

I jumped and whirled around, face-to-face with Aerith. A red raincoat replaced her shrug and the hem of her dress was damp with rainwater. Melancholic understanding shone through her normally bright orbs.

"What are you doing out here? You must be freezing," She took a step towards me as she examined my waterlogged appearance.

"I'm just…reflecting. I'm okay, you didn't need to come out here," I replied shiver started to work their way through my body.

"You're just sad because you lost someone dear to you, and your heart is grieving," Aerith put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I lost someone dear to me, too. It still hurts when I think about him, and it always will,"

I took her hand off my shoulder. "You don't know how much Lumaria meant to me! If it weren't for him, I'd still be wasting my life in Radiant Garden!" The water behind my eyelids broke through and poured down my face. "He-he-he died just to protect me!" Sobs and shivers overtook my body as tears dripped off my face.

Aerith's arms wrapped around my body pulled me into a warm, motherly embrace. Her dress was probably soaked because of me, but that probably wasn't number one on her problems list.

"He did it, because he wanted to keep you safe. Wherever he is now, he at least knows you're okay," Her voice caressed my saddened hearted. "If Lumaria was here now, he would heartbroken at the sight of your tears. I know it hurts, but you don't have to suffer through it, I'm always here,"

We both stood there, trapped in each other's arms as the rain drenched us even more. Aerith stepped back, slid out of her raincoat, and draped it over my shoulders. My gazed shifted back to the roses for Lumaria that lay on the ground. They were gonna get trampled after this storm clears and people start walking around, but at least Lumaria could see I still love him. Aerith gently took my hand and lead me out of my mournful state, comforting me all the way back to Leon's place.

Sky blue orbs studied the pair as they strode away from Clocktower Square, grief lingering in the air. A figure stepped out from his umbrella of tree leaves and picked up the bouquet of roses lying on the ground. Raindrops dripped off the petals like his tears should've been. But Nobodies can't cry. Mother Nature's breath blew his hood back, revealing his shoulder-length pink hair. Marluxia's gripped the roses left by his beloved, her cries still buzzing in his head.

"Ya done yet, Marly? I'm freezing and soaked to the bone," Axel complained, clutching his skinny arms.

Marluxia turned back towards a shivering Axel, whose normally spiky mane, was stuck to his head. Being aware of Axel's disdain towards water, Marluxia opened up a Dark Corridor, reluctantly stepping in. He surveyed the area of his death one last time before it disappeared from his sight.

**Author: I'M NOT DEAD! Sorry for the terribly long update, school has taken my free time and thrown it out the window :( But it's almost Christmas so I might get around to updating when the holidays roll around. Happy belated Hannukah to anyone who celebrates! Also Happy Kwanzaa and Merry Chirstmas!**

**~yukihikari99**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Renale's POV

The days came and went in a blur after Lumaria's death. Numbness wasn't even the best word to describe my state of misery. I would sit on Lumaria's bed for hours on end, trying to remember his scent, his voice, and those crystal-clear blue eyes that held me rapt every time my gaze met his. Reality never seemed to set in for very long nowadays, all reality brought back were painful memories and sorrow. In my heart, Lumaria and I were still together laughing and smiling together. Everytime a rose claimed my sight, I immediately thought of giving it to Lumaria, but reality always reminded me that he was gone.

The heartless problem also grew worse. It wasn't just in Traverse Town, but everywhere. No one could go out onto the streets anymore without a weapon to defend themselves. A pouch of hand-carved knives never left my side, even when we re-located ourselves back to Radiant Garden, now called Hollow Bastian. Back where my past life resided. Cid stayed up late and even whole nights, trying to get the problem under control. Even on the extra room, I could hear Cid cursing over the computer and Leon yelling at him to keep it quiet. I rolled onto my side to face the window and sighed, why can't everything just go back to normal?

I sometimes wish that Lumaria and I didn't run away. We wouldn't have gotten dragged into this, we wouldn't have gotten involved in that fight, Lumaria would still be here, and I wouldn't be drowning in my own pool of bereavement. Sure, we would still have to live with the heartless problem here right now, but we would still be together. I sometimes even think that maybe being dead would be better than living with a hole in your heart.

* * *

"Renale, report. Heartless population in the Marketplace." Cid demanded as soon as I walked in from one of my rounds. Eat, sleep, help control heartless problem, and repeat. That was my unchanging schedule nowadays.

"The Marketplace is completely clean, it's now a clear area again." I replied.

"Finally, some progress!" Cid exclaimed and recorded it into the computer.

I collapsed onto one of the couches in the next room over and closed my eyes, resting my head against one of the armrests. Everyday, I would come back here with my whole body aching along with my heart. Two years have passed since Lumaria's death and I should've moved on with my life by now; accept that he's dead and I can't do anything to bring him back. No matter how many times I wake up in the middle of the night after the horrid nightmares of seeing him die again and no matter how much I still cry over this, he won't come back.

My mind must've slipped into the realm of sleep because when I woke up, it was dark out and the smell of stew swam through the air. I pushed off the mysterious blanket that had been draped over me (by Aerith must likely) and headed to the tiny room we called a kitchen. Sure enough, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie were gathered at the table and Cid was cursing at the computer in the other room. I poured myself a bowl of stew from the giant pot on the stove and joined them.

"You look beat, Rena." Yuffie noticed, calling me by her personal nickname, handpicked by her.

"I am, I spent all day in the Marketplace but I completely cleaned it." I replied.

"One area down," Leon stood up and dropped his bowl in the sink. "Only about twenty or so more to go. I swear, we've been at this for nearly two years and made barely any progress."

"Look on the bright side, we've been able to protect the citizens in the process." Aerith pointed out.

"I feel like we'd make more progress if Cloud or Tifa were here." Yuffie added to Leon's statement.

"We probably would, but Cloud has his own problems right now." Leon sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to try to help Cid, I don't want to wake up to the lovely sound his voice in the morning." He said with a hint of sarcasm and headed into the computer room.

Without a word, I put my half-finished bowl of stew on the counter and headed off to my own room. I lie on my bed beside the window and let my eyes examine the crystal-encrusted sky. It was on an exact night like this one that Lumaria and I fled from here, fled from our old lives seven years ago. And here I was back to where I started, back to square one. A whistle blew from my lips and I let my mind get lost in my jumble of memories.

* * *

"After Lumaria's death, Renale was really that upset?" Marluxia asked the Savage Nymph as they sat on a bench.

Larxene nodded, her eyes still holding a thick coating of nostalgia. "She was depressed, really depressed. Ever since that incident, she always liked to be alone with her thoughts." She uncrossed her legs and turned herself to face the assassin. "That was probably the reason why she went out early that morning, so she could have more time to think later."

"But that morning is what brought her back to Lumaria." Marluxia smiled a bit at Larxene and placed his hand over hers.

She nodded. "You're right, but he wasn't Lumaria anymore. He was you."

Marluxia smiled a bit more. "We're getting to the best part, do continue."

* * *

The sun wasn't up yet; it was still budding over the horizon and sent tiny petals of orange across the sky. It was just enough light to wake me from my light slumber. I quickly changed into a sleeveless acid-green shirt with black boarding the edges, dark Capris, and black combat boots. Cid must've fallen asleep during the night, because it was oddly quiet in the house. I peaked into the computer room and I was right; he was slumped over his computer, his goggles askew and his hair was a flaxen cotton ball on his head. Scribbling down a quick note saying I went to do my rounds early, I left.

Everyone was still safe in their homes as I made my way through the sleeping town. The Marketplace was devoid of its sea of customers and the shops were boarded up tightly, to keep heartless from stealing merchandise during the night. I was soon out of the safety of town and was heading down one of the many rocky paths that surrounded Radiant-I mean, Hollow Bastion. The name still felt foreign on my tongue.

A once beautiful ocean-colored mosaic stretched out beneath my feet, cracked and wrecked by the heartless invasion. I looked back at Hollow Bastion, looked at how grey it is now. The beauty and peace that was once here was eaten by the damn heartless. These annoying little bitches are destroying everything and-

_SCREECH!_

I leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the streak of black that flew through the air. The creature landed with grace and turned itself around to face me with its hideous yellow teeth bared. Gnarled horns grew from the heartless's head and the emblem was smack-dab in the middle of its forehead. I drew my knives as the heartless lunged at me again, and I barely dodged it again.

I charged at the heartless and tried to jab at it multiple times but it missed every single one. The monster lunged at me as lightning danced at my fingertips and struck the heartless, throwing it back. I charged at the heartless again and raked my knives across the heartless's body. Another screech almost busted my eardrums before it jumped above me and shot a purple globe at me. I jumped back at threw a knife at the heart-eating monster but it simply dodged and slashed at me with its black claws. My skin ripped and stung as I slumped over, clutching my bloody arm.

Ignoring the pain, I raised my knives in time to block a skyward attack from the heartless. I knocked it away and threw another thunder spell at the creature, causing it to flinch. Taking advantage of my chance, I jumped up and let loose the biggest thundaga I could muster and let it butcher the dark creature. More screeches disturbed the morning air but the heartless jumped up, almost completely unscratched by the thunder and slashed at me again.

More pain tore through my body. I looked down and saw a flower of red blooming across my side. Damnit, there was no way I could keep this up for much longer. The heartless came at me with a flurry of attacks, alternating between spheres of purple and slashes with its brutal claws. I pushed away the claws with my knives while ducking low, high, and side-to-side to avoid the other attacks it shot at me. Jabbing one if my knives into where I think its face would be, I turned and ran.

I continued down the rocky path, trying to discard the stinging in my arm and side. Stopping would mean certain death; the heartless couldn't be too far behind me. My feet rounded a corner and I was inside a cave full to bursting with crystals, illuminating the path that cut through it. I hid myself behind two good-sized stalagmites and flinched.

The wound on my arm wasn't too bad, but my side was a different story. The side of my shirt was no longer green, but a deep crimson. Damn, I didn't have a jacket or anything to put pressure on it. I held up my knives and an idea hit me. I sliced off the fabric from the bottom of my shirt, leaving my midriff uncovered, and tore that into long strips. Once my wound was covered with my makeshift bandages, I sat against the stalagmite behind me and restored my breath.

The little rest that I was granted was broken by the footsteps that echoed off the cave's walls. Persistence must be the name of this damn heartless. I slowly rose to my feet, still clutching my knives, and inched my way deeper in the cave. The uneven surface of the wall behind me scraped against my back and the exposed small of my back. I grit my teeth as the heartless picked up its pace, following my unseen trail.

_Crack._

A tiny rock fell against the floor of the cave and the sound bounced off the walls, shit. For all I knew, the heartless didn't even hear it but I didn't take a chance and ran even deeper into the cave. The heartless defiantly heard my footsteps banging against the ground and was soon hot on my heels. Sunlight flooded the end of the cave and my heart lit up; maybe I did have a chance of outrunning this thing or at least slowing it down. I forced my legs to carry my body faster as I exited the cave and without catching my breath, I threw a couple knives at the rock over the cave entrance. An avalanche concealed the cave's exit, sealing the heartless inside it.

I smiled at myself despite my bloody, torn state. Tucking my remaining knife back into my pouch I began to head back into town, where Leon and Yuffie were probably wondering where the hell I was. Screw my runs for the day, it wasn't even ten in the morning and the crap was already beaten out of me. A nice day of relaxing an-

My body fell to its knees at the mercy of the heartless's sphere of darkness. Terror pumped through my veins as my breath turned into fitful gasps. A scream tore through my raw throat and more waves of pain relentlessly attacked my already-battered body. I finally gave into the numbness that now ruled my body. Darkness claimed me as my body fell against the ground. Death had embraced me.

* * *

Strong arms were carrying me, but they weren't the arms of the grim reaper. My eyelids refused to open and my ears were stuffed with imaginary cotton balls. The voices above me were barely audible and my body grew heavier and heavier with each step the person holding me took. I could still feel my homemade bandages against my wound and the massive cut on my arm stung. Slumber pulled at my being, but I forced my eyes open and did my best to throw it off me.

Grey was what my eyes saw. Grey. Grey. And more grey. Was I in limbo or something? My crappy vision made out the outline of an incredibly tall chair. Throne was probably the better word. More grey thrones rose from the ground and black dots were all occupying one. One yelled out something that I couldn't make out, jumped down from their seat, and rushed over to the person that was holding me.

The grey that was ruling my vision was replaced with sapphire. Those eyes locked with mine…they looked so comforting, so familiar. Their whispers couldn't penetrate my clogged ears and their features were unclear. Gentle fingers caressed my cheek as I forced my brain to focus, despite the blackness pulling at my vision. Those sapphire orbs were still locked on mine as the fog lifted just a little bit from my vision. I made out the outline of their lips, the curve of their chin that was framed by cherry-blossom strands of hair…

My breath stopped. No, there's something wrong here. This can't be true…my brain gave into unconsciousness as a single word reached my eardrums.

"Renale."

* * *

Something warm encased my hand. The block of lead also known as my body ached with soreness. My head was throbbing and I forced myself to open my eyes. Grey walls, ceilings, and floors surrounded me yet again. Layers of soft sheets have been draped over me and my head was resting on a cloud-like pillow. Gentle fingers brushed away stray locks of hair that hung over my eyes and their fingertips turned my head towards them. I shook my and focused on the blurry outline of the person. Duplicates of them swirled around each other before they melded into a single person. That single person had resided within the walls of my heart for seven years.

"…Lu-Lu…Lumaria?" I couldn't keep my weak voice steady.

"Yes, it's me Renale." Hearing his voice again made tears gush down my cheeks.

I threw off the sheets covering my body and threw my arms around him. Lumaria was taken aback for a moment before he retuned the action and wrapped his strong arms around me. He ruffled my hair and let me sob into his shoulder. I thought he was dead. I thought he was gone for good. But he wasn't, he was here with me. My eyes locked with his for a brief second before he tenderly kissed my lips. His fingers ran through my hair and he hugged me again. I rested my hands behind his neck and deeply kissed back. We haven't had a moment like this in so long…I thought everything was back to normal for just a little bit.

But the word 'normal' probably didn't even exist in our dictionaries anymore.

Lumaria pulled away but I was still in his arms. His pink hair was cut short, only brushing against his shoulders as opposed to falling past them. He was wearing a long black coat with an array of silver beads adorning the front along with black pants and boots, the boots having a silver edge to them.

"Lumaria, you've been alive this whole time?" I couldn't break my gaze with his eyes.

"Yes, it's a long story." He began. "Whe-"

"Why didn't you tell me!" I yelled, making him jump.

"I had no way of getting to you. Believe me, if I had the chance to act on my own volition I would've told you sooner." He replied.

"No way of getting to me? What the hell was stopping you!" My voice climbed even higher on volume's ladder.

"Xemnas made sure I always had a mission to do. Even when I had a moment, I was forbidden from leaving the castle." Lumaria shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Renale. I missed you so much." He pecked a quick kiss on my lips again.

"Marluxia, have you spent the entire afternoon here when you should've been on reconnaissance in Wonderland?" A voice growled.

The voice belonged to a man with a formidable golden gaze that pierced through your soul. An X-shaped scar rested on his face, blue hair framed his face, and he was dressed in the same attire at Lumaria. He glanced at me, then at Lumaria.

"I _**have**_ been here the whole time, Saix. I'll do that mission later." Lumaria gave him a curt reply.

"Along with that you will dispose of that obnoxious Wyvern that has been roaming around Halloween Town." The man, Saix I assume, glowered at Lumaria. "Being reunited with an old friend doesn't excuse you from carrying out your duties, Marluxia."

"Marluxia? His name's Lumaria!" I corrected.

Saix turned and faced me with that ghastly stare of his. "Marluxia didn't tell you a thing, did he?" He turned to Lumaria again. "How long were you going to wait to tell her she doesn't exist anymore?"

"Of course I still exist! What the hell are you talking about!" I snapped back.

"It's a very simple concept, you don't exist, you're nothing now. Or rather, Renale doesn't exist anymore…Larxene." Saix replied, the last word rolling off his tongue.

_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair  
__Two strangers learn to fall in love again  
__I get the joy of rediscovering you  
__Oh girl, you stand by me_

_I'm forever yours,  
__Faithfully_

Faithfully by Journey

**Author: HOLY CRAP AN UPDATE! Sorry for the long hiatus guys, I've been through a lot recently but I'm feeling a lot better now! I can't believe its been almost two years since I first published this thing O_o  
I think this is one of the best fanfics I've ever written. I'm glad all of you like it so much and thank you for being so patient! I won't take a year to get the next chapter up! lol**

**~Yukihikari-chan (Yep, I changed my pen name a little bit)**

**The reasons why I have random Journey lyrics at the end of the chapter:**

**1) I listened to 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri and 'Faithfully' by Journey on and off while writing this chapter (which I typed up in one day ^_^") I didn't know which lyrics to put (or rather I didn't know which one was more appropriate for the chapter) so I just went with Journey.**

**2) Journey is one of my current obsessions in music. I'm still stuck in the 1970s-1980s with Journey and Genesis XD**


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